[fix]ing at TIFF 2016

TIFF16

Sophie Nelisse, Sam Claflin, Aunjanue Ellis, Gerard Butler, Liev Schreiber, Jeremy Fenner, Maestro Fresh Wes, Kardinal, Eric Johnson, Erika Linder, Allan Hawco, Kreesha Turner, Michael Smiley, Rita Udominic, Chidi Mokeme, Michael Smiley and Mark Hildreth were just some of the awesome actors I got to meet at TIFF 2016!

TIFF16

The Social - High heel stretches

Visit http://www.thesocial.ca/Wellness/Fitness/2016/July/High-heel-stretches for the video!

Stretches to help you deal with high heel pain

July 25, 2016

THE SOCIAL

Wearing high heels is a common source of foot, ankle, knee, hip and back pain for many women.  High heels cause your pelvis to tilt forward leading to tight hip flexor muscles. This puts stress on your lower back and the ligaments at the front of your knee potentially causing back pain, knee pain and even torn ligaments at the front of your knee. Studies have shown that just a 2 inch heel puts 23% more load at the front of your knee.
 
Standing or walking in heels for long periods of time will also cause your calf muscles to tighten and your Achilles tendon to shorten, which can lead to calf strains and Achilles tendonitis. It only takes 6 months of wearing heels for your Achilles tendon to shorten. 
 
An inch of heel height tilts you forward about 10 degrees. Since your weight is shifted forward to the balls of your feet, you are no longer using your arches to balance your weight. This can cause inflammation in the nerves that run between your toes leading to foot pain and the formation of bony growths like bunions.


DANCER’S POSE

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. 
  2. Bend one knee and reach for your ankle behind you. Your fingers should be on the outside of your ankle while your thumb wraps around the inner part. 
  3. Raise your other arm towards the ceiling. 
  4. Keeping your knees facing forward, gently kick your leg back into your hand. 
  5. Let the weight of your foot in your hand tilt your hip forward as your leg extends behind you - until you feel a stretch across your chest and hip. You should be looking directly in front of you with your raised arm parallel to the ground. 
  6. Try to hold this pose for one minute and repeat it twice on each side. 


What it does: Wearing high heels causes the hip flexors resulting in your pelvis tilting forward. This posture not only helps to stretch your hip flexors but it also strengthens your core, glutes and legs simultaneously which are all responsible for stabilizing you while you walk in high heels.


STANDING ADDUCTOR STRETCH

  1. While standing, bring your leg up so that your thigh is parallel to the ground and your knee is bent to 90 degrees. 
  2. Grab your big toe with your 2nd and 3rd fingers and your thumb. 
  3. When you feel that you have your balance, kick your leg forward so that your leg is straight. The standing leg and the leg in front of you should both be straight and your hips should point forward. 
  4. Slowly bring your leg out to the side so that the inner thigh is facing the front of the room. 
  5. Hold for 15-20 seconds and repeat on the other leg.


What it does: This exercise strengthens the legs and ankles, stretches the backs of the legs and improves your balance. By doing this exercise you will have more stability while wearing high heels and be able to walk in them comfortably for a longer period of time.

STANDING HAMSTRING STRETCH

  1. While standing, bring your leg up so that your thigh is parallel to the ground and your knee is bent to 90 degrees. 
  2. Interlock your fingers and wrap them under the arch of your foot. 
  3. When you feel that you have your balance, kick your leg forward so that your leg is straight. The standing leg and the leg in front of you should both be straight and your hips should point forward. 
  4. Hold for 15-20 seconds and repeat on the other leg.


What it does: This is a great stretch for the hamstrings and calf muscles. Since the calf muscles and hamstrings shorten when you wear heels it is important to elongate and stretch them to prevent calf, foot and Achilles problems.


TOPPLING TREE

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. 
  2. Extend your arms over your head and interlock your fingers, releasing your pointer fingers and pointing them towards the ceiling. 
  3. Take one step in front of you and slowly bend forward as your back leg extends straight behind you, with your toes pointing to the back wall. You should be looking straight ahead while keeping your arms next to your ears. 
  4. Stop bending forward when your back is parallel to the floor. 
  5. Try to keep your back leg in line with the rest of the body so that you look like a ‘T’ from the side. 
  6. You only need to hold this posture for 10 seconds. Repeat twice on each side. 


What it does: By engaging your glutes and core at the same time, this pose helps to strengthen to muscles necessary to walk in high heels. Balancing while you are toppled forward also helps to strengthen the arches in your foot to provide additional support while you are wearing heels.  This will help prevent foot problems like neuromas and bunions.


ANKLE CIRCLES

  1. While standing, raise one leg out in front of you so that it is above the ground.
  2. Draw circles in a clockwise motion with your foot. 
  3. Repeat this 10 times and then go counter clockwise for another count of 10. Repeat on the other foot.


What this does: Wearing stilettos can restrict the amount of circulation going through the ankle and foot. By moving your ankles in circles, you create a dynamic stretch that allows for better blood flow and less swelling and pain in your feet.

Here are my 6 favourite daily stretches

All of the stretches also include a strengthening component giving you a mini workout while you're stretching.

From top left to bottom right moving clockwise:

1. Pectorals stretch | Interlock your fingers behind your back. Pull your hands down towards the ground and squeeze your shoulder blades together. To squeeze your shoulder blades together, imagine that there is a pencil along your spine that you are trying to hold in place. Hold this for 5 slow seconds.

This is a great stretch for your pectorals. It also helps to lower your shoulders and strengthen the stabilizer muscles in your middle back.

2. Back bend | Interlock your fingers and bring your arms directly over your head. Look up to the ceiling and then to the wall behind you if possible. Plant your feet to the ground.  Let your arms follow so that you are arching backwards. You should feel a stretch at the front of your hips and feel yourself arching backwards. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, arch back a little bit more. Try to complete 5 deep breaths and come back up back to a standing position.

This is a great stretch because it helps to stretch your hip flexors, strengthen your core and decompress your spine.

3. Camel pose | Kneel on the floor, preferably on a mat. Let your shins lie flat on the mat while your upper legs are perpendicular to the mat. Start by placing your hands on the back of your hips and look backwards as you arch back. If you can see the wall behind you, take your hands and hold onto your heels. As you look back you should feel a stretch at the front on your hips and shoulders. Hold this for 5 slow breaths. Ensure that you come out of this posture as slowly as you went into it.  

This will help to decompress the spine, stretch the hip flexors and stretch the pectorals.

4. Calf stretch | While standing keep both legs straight. Move the leg that you are stretching directly in front of you. Place the heel on the ground and point the toes up to the ceiling [ankle dorsiflexion]. Slowly bend forward towards the ground ensuring to bend from the hips while keeping your back flat. You should feel a nice stretch in your calf muscle. Hold this for 10 breaths and come up slowly.

By holding up your foot instead of using a step you are activating the muscles at the front of your leg which allows for a deeper stretch of the calf.

5. Tree pose | Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and bring your heel up to the front crease of the opposite hip. Lengthen your core and imagine that you have a string attached to your head that is pulling you back. Slowly try and push your bent knee backwards so that it is inline with the front of your hips. Hold this position for 10 slow seconds.

This pose is a great hip opener, helps with balance and stability and improving posture.

6. Quad stretch | Stand with your feet next to each other, use both hands to bring your heel back to your buttocks. Hold this stretch for 10 slow seconds.

This will help to stretch your quadricep muscles and stretch your pectorals.

Ranked: Bay Street's Most Painful Professions

baystreetpainindex

Bay Street stands as the benchmark address for Canada's finance, banking and business backbone. But what toll do thousands of trades, transactions and deals have on C-Suite executives and the support staff working long hours to make them happen?

Toronto Chiropractor Dr. Liza Egbogah has been treating 'A' list C-Suite clients from her financial core practice for over six years. In that time she's determined that pain and profession go hand and hand, that there's a direct correlation between what you do and the type and severity of pain you are likely to experience. Armed with six years of patient data, Dr. Egbogah created the Bay Street Pain Index, the first ranking of type, location and severity of pain brought on by the high stress professions of Bay Street.

In the case of Administrative Staff such as Executive Assistants and Office Managers there is a very real physical correlation. They top the Bay Street Pain Index Score of (37).

The Bay Street Pain Index:

Profession (in order of most painful)        Key Areas of Pain             Bay Street Pain Index Score
(Out of a possible 50)

1) Admin. Staff                                             Shoulders, arms, headaches         37

(Office Managers, EAs etc.)

2) Hospitality Industry
(Restaurateurs, Hotel, Chefs)                       Feet, neck                                      33

3) Lawyers                                                    Neck, mid-back                              31

4) IT Professionals                                        Mid back, neck, shoulders             29

5) Analysts                                                    Neck, upper/lower back               28

6) Senior Executives
(CEOs, CMOs, CFOs)                                    Glutes, lower back                         26

7) Bankers                                                     Neck                                              20

(Execs, Traders, Investment)

So, why do Admin. Staff top the index? 

"Have you ever had a tough and demanding boss? Admin. Staff on Bay Street working at law firms, banks and brokerages probably have five," said Dr. Liza Egbogah Founder of the[fix], a boutique comprehensive chiropractic and massage clinic in downtown Toronto. "Anecdotally, patients have confided that there may be a few bad bosses on Bay Street that are literally making a painful workplace for their staff."

Key Findings of the Bay Street Pain Index:

A) Administrative work is the most painful profession on Bay Street!

Coming in at a pain index score of 37 (out of a possible 50,) Admin. Staff seem to be bearing the brunt of Bay Street pain. Hospitality industry workers (33) and Lawyers are (31) are distantly behind.

Admin Staff experience regular headaches and shoulder pain more than any other Bay Street Profession, this is likely due to demanding bosses.

B) Bankers experience the least physical pain on Bay Street

Surprisingly, bankers come out on top with the least amount of consistent, work related pain. With the lowest score by far of all seven professions (20) Bankers may be dancing all the way to the bank.

Though many pain points are ranked at 1 (legs, arms, headaches, etc.) Bankers experience significant pain in the neck and mid/lower back.

C) If you can't be a Banker, be a Senior Executive

Though they experience significant pain in the glutes and lower back, at (26), Senior Executives place as the second least painful profession on Bay Street. Senior Executives experience significantly less pain than Lawyers (31) and Hospitality Industry Workers (33).

"Its remarkable that we've seen hundreds of patients of different ages and levels of fitness, but they tend to have predicable and chronic pain based on their professions," added Dr. Egbogah. "The good news is that most Bay Street professionals from support staff to CEOs have extended medical care benefits so they can deal with these chronic pain issues as they appear."

Dr. Egbogah adds that many of these chronic issues can be directly combatted with simple stretches and exercises but assigning 'homework' meets with mixed results. "Many of our patients would benefit from these stretches but they never seem to find the time to add them to already busy schedules."

Cosmetic Myofascial Release: A Case Study

from left to right: `1. before treatment 2. after second treatment 3. after third treatment

from left to right: `1. before treatment 2. after second treatment 3. after third treatment

 

This beautiful patient came in with a history of back pain that had altered her posture. These postural alterations resulted in changes to her physical appearance that she was not happy with. After 3 treatments combining the tummy tuck and anti-gravity proprietary protocols she looks 5-10 lbs slimmer, an inch taller and several years younger than when she first came in. Her back pain is also significantly reduced and for the first time in years  she has been able to sleep through the night.

Flatten your stomach | the tummy tuck

When your pelvis is tilted forward due to tight hip flexors, this can make your stomach stick out giving you the appearance of a protruding abdomen. Normalizing your pelvic tilt will cause your stomach to be flatter and look more toned. This treatment can also help to reduce bloating and appearance of abdominal fat rolls.

Look taller and younger | the anti-gravity

Firstly, when you slouch you appear significantly shorter and older than your actual height and age. By improving your posture with a tailored treatment protocol you can look taller and younger, achieving up to an extra 2 inches in height.

The University of Louisville conducted a research study, where 60 people were asked to rate the appearance of two women in a series of pictures - in some they were slumping, in others they were standing up straight. Study participants consistently rated the women who were standing up straight to be younger and more attractive.

So not only will you look better with Cosmetic Myofascial release but your body will also feel and function better.

 

Daytime YR: My 5 posture fixes for a flatter stomach

1. Elongate your core by standing up as straight as possible. This will give you the appearance of a longer torso and a flatter stomach. This is also a great way to decompress your spine and engage your core. Imagine a string attached to your head pulling you up.

2. Suck in your stomach. Not only will this move instantly make your stomach look flatter,  but you will also be giving your abs a workout. Your deep core muscles are activated by sucking in your stomach and the longer you suck in, the more toned your core will be. Just remember not to hold your breath while you are sucking in your stomach.

3. Tilt your pelvis back. Tight hip flexor muscles caused by too much sitting can cause your stomach to stick out. This is because when these muscles are contracted they tilt your pelvis forward. In order to flatten your stomach, you want to to tilt your pelvis back. To practice this, lie on the floor and put your hand behind the small of your back. Tilt your pelvis back so that you are squishing your hand into the ground. Hold this for 5 seconds. This is a pelvic tilt. After you have done this lying on the ground, try doing it standing. This little exercise will help bring in your stomach and engage core and pelvic muscles.

4. Back bends. Bending backwards is a great way to stretch tight hip flexors that may be causing your stomach to protrude. Your core muscles really have to engage to prevent you from falling backwards while doing a back bend. This is a great exercise to do every time you get up from sitting. When you are first starting out place your hands behind your hips for added support. As you feel more comfortable with this exercise you can bring your arms overhead while you bend backwards.

5. Side bends. In yoga, this is considered one of the best waist trimming postures. It stretches and tones your abdominal muscles, while at the same time giving your some serious flattening. This great exercise can be done throughout the day.

In addition to the 5 posture fixes, I would recommend regular cardiovascular exercise to help burn belly fat and to decrease bloating. And of course you want to watch what you eat ;)

The video segment should be up in a couple of weeks so you can see how these moves are done!

Chiropractic at the Oscars, Hollywood's Best Kept Beauty Secret

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 09, 2016) -  Many people go to a Chiropractor for back pain and to treat various injuries but Hollywood has a secret: chiropractic treatment can also help you look better. By improving your posture with a series of adjustments, muscle releases and exercises you can appear taller, more attractive and have a flatter stomach. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bundchen see a Chiropractor regularly to feel and look their best.

"I leave my chiropractor's office feeling fresh and rejuvenated and back in line the way I should be," said Katherine Kelly Lang, The Bold and the Beautiful.

As a doctor specializing in cosmetic chiropractic, Dr. Liza Egbogah has been treating an enviable roster of celebrities from her downtown Toronto clinic for almost 8 years. Following the success of her mini treatments at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, Dr. Egbogah will be providing her signature express red carpet treatment for celebrities and media attending this years Oscars. Dr. Liza will be stationed in a beautiful gifting suite at The London West Hollywood offering the 'Neck + Shoulder fix' which consists of muscle work to release tight neck and shoulder muscles followed by some manual stretching. This treatment will leave Hollywood feeling and looking better by increasing the circulation to the face and lowering shoulders giving a longer, leaner, more youthful appearance. 

So this year when you see your favorite celebrity glowing on the red carpet you will have to wonder if they got their chiropractic fix.

Dr. Liza Egbogah is one of North America's leading Chiropractic doctors and clinic director of the|fix|, downtown Toronto's boutique comprehensive chiropractic and massage clinic. She is a sought after health and wellness expert and has provided expert opinions for numerous television programs, newspapers, magazines, radio shows, the Ontario government, workplaces, athletes andproductions.