Exercises and an abdominal massage to help ease constipation and bloating

With more time spent sitting and working from home - you may have noticed that your have been feeling a little bit constipated and/or bloated. This can be due to a change in routine, diet, stress and surprisingly the compression of your abdominal area from too much time sitting.

And not only can constipation and bloating feel uncomfortable, it can contribute to back pain and affect the appearance of your skin.

I shared some easy exercises and an abdominal massage routine that you can do to help. Click to watch!

Please note that this was filmed with Skype and so the movements are a mirror image. The video is captioned for your convenience.

A Routine From A Posture Expert To Reduce Stress and Support Immunity

With poor posture our lungs do not have as much room to expand - making it difficult to breath properly and making us more susceptible to respiratory illness. It can also increase feelings of anxiety and stress which can in turn affect our immune response.  Here is a routine to improve your posture, open your lungs, support immunity and help you relax.

Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend

How to do: Stand with your feet about double shoulder width apart. Interlace your fingers behind your back, and straighten your arms. Fold forward, lifting your arms up toward the ceiling. You should feel a nice stretch in your chest. When you feel a good stretch -take a nice deep breath in and as you exhale try and go deeper into the posture.

What it does: This yoga pose helps to open up the chest which will improve your posture and give you more room for inhalation. It also brings blood flow to your head which helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which is the rest and relax portion of your nervous system. So not only is this pose great for your respiratory system, it can help relieve stress.

Side Child’s Pose

How to do: Start on all fours with your hands and knees on the ground and lower your hips onto your heels and press back with straight arms in front of you. Walk your hands to the right until you feel a good stretch along your left torso. Gently breathe into your left side ribs to loosen and stretch the side torso. Hold for 5 deep breath cycles. Try and imagine space increasing between your ribs with each breath. Repeat  on the other side.

What it does: With too much time spent sitting and stress, the area around our ribcage tends to become compressed. This compression means that that we are not able to breathe as deeply which can lower our immune response. With this pose the ribcage is opened, the torso lengthened and it allows us to take proper deep breaths - which will help boost our immunity and relieve stress. It also feels great and you can literally feel the tension melting away in this pose.

Bow Pose

How to do: Start by lying on your belly, with your arms relaxed alongside your body, palms facing upwards, your legs extended straight back behind you and your forehead resting down on your mat. Bend your knees, bringing your heels in toward your buttocks. Reach your hands back and take a hold of your outer ankles.  Begin to kick back into your feet and try and press your shins towards the back of the room. Keeping your knees hip width apart —lift your heels higher away from your buttocks and draw the tops of your shoulders away from your ears.Keep your chin parallel to the ground and look directly ahead of you.Remain in the pose for 5 deep breaths, then gently release your legs on the exhale and rest on your mat for several breaths with your arms alongside your body.

What it does: Bow pose opens up and stretches the front of the body, including the chest and shoulders, while strengthening the muscles of the back. Backbends like bow pose are great for improving your posture as they counteract slouching forward. They are also stimulating and energizing and help to combat stress and fatigue.

Camel Pose

How to do: Begin on your knees with your legs and feet hip width apart. Place your hands behind you as if they were in the back pocket of your pants. Engage your core and press your hips and thighs forward. Lift your chest and reach back holding your heels with your hands. Try and look behind you and take five deep breaths. Slowly bring your hands back to your glutes and then exhale and lift your torso up.

What it does: Camel pose is another great backbend which is beneficial for your spinal mobility and your posture. It opens up your chest, stretches your shoulders and abdominal wall. By doing this it increases circulation throughout the front of your body which may be helpful in boosting your immunity. 

Studies have shown that yoga has a significant effect in modulating stress which in turn improves an individuals immune response. Poor posture has also been shown to increase the levels of the stress hormone cortisol which has negative effects on our immune response. By reducing stress and improving our posture with this yoga routine not only will you feel better but you may be able to boost your immunity in the process.

Huffington Post - 3 Yoga Poses To Help Relieve Stress When Trying To Conceive

There are many factors during ovulation and fertilization that need to align to facilitate getting pregnant. Sometimes, issues such as ovulation disorders, endometriosis, high stress or other complications can impede fertility.

Osteopath and myofascial release therapist, Dr. Liza Egbogah BSc, DC, DOMP from the[fix] in Toronto, says non-invasive osteopathic treatments and even a specialized yoga practice can be effective in relieving pelvic adhesions — scar tissue that can block or distort the fallopian tubes, which may hamper conceiving.

Myofascial release treats skeletal muscle immobility and pain by relaxing contracted muscles, improving blood and lymphatic circulation, and stimulating the stretch reflex in muscles.

"I have seen great success in patients experiencing barriers to fertility, especially if you have a history of abdominal or pelvic surgery or trauma to the area," says Dr. Egbogah.

Here are Dr. Liza's recommended poses to help relieve fertility stress and improve circulation in the pelvic and abdominal areas.

Dr. Liza demonstrates the forward fold as a pose to help reduce stress when trying to conceive.

Standing forward fold: With feet hip-width apart, interlock fingers behind your back. As you bend forward, the back of your hands should be pointing towards the ceiling. Relax your head and neck toward the ground completely while you feel an opening of the chest, and breathe while bent forward for 10 deep breaths.

What it does: This pose stretches the muscles of the back and improves the blood supply to the pelvic region and the nervous system. The forward fold can also help relieve stress, and alleviating stress is imperative when trying to get pregnant.

Dr.Liza demonstrates the goddess pose

Nighttime goddess stretch: Lie on your back with knees bent. Place the soles of your feet together, then let your knees fall open, forming a diamond shape with your legs. Use your hands to gently push your knees towards the ground. If you feel any strain, elevate your legs by placing a pillow underneath each knee. Hold for 30 seconds.

What it does: This poses stretches your inner thighs and groin muscles. It also helps relieves stress and menstrual cramps.

Dr. Liza demonstrates the spinal twist to relieve stress.

Spinal twists: Sit with both legs straight in front of you. Adjust your legs so that you can sit evenly on your sitting bones. Cross your right foot over your left thigh and place it on the floor outside your left knee. Fold your left leg in, with your foot outside your right hip. Hold your right knee with your left hand, and place your right hand on the floor diagonally behind you. Lift your left arm high. Twist the torso as you draw your elbow down on the outside of your right thigh. Hold each pose for 30 seconds and repeat each side twice.

What it does: This pose enhances blood circulation to the pelvic area, and reduces stress.

You can practice these poses every day to help manage stress and get your body moving.