Fit&Well

1 week ago | fitandwell.com | Jennifer Rizzuto

I'm a personal trainer who regularly works with people suffering from lower back pain, but I often find these clients have tightness in their mid back, too. This region, known as the thoracic spine, is susceptible to aches and immobility when you sit for long stretches of the day. Fortunately, there’s one drill that can open up this area effectively: a stretch called thread the needle. I do this move nearly every day.

1 week ago | fitandwell.com | Alice Porter

Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor squeezes, are one of the most common and effective ways to build strength and control in your pelvic floor muscles. The exercises can help you work towards preventing or reducing the severity of pelvic floor issues such as incontinence. However, according to Leanne O'Brien, pelvic floor physical therapist at Ten Health, there’s a chance you’re not doing them properly.

1 week ago | fitandwell.com | Jennifer Rizzuto

I recently had a baby, which means spending a lot of time on the couch recovering. While proper rest is crucial during the postpartum period, all this inactivity has resulted in stiffness and pain throughout my lower back, neck and shoulders. Needing some gentle movement to open things up, I found this quick 10-minute full-body stretch from yoga instructor Francine Cipollone—better known on YouTube as Yoga with Bird. It looked safe enough to do, even under my current activity restrictions.

2 weeks ago | fitandwell.com | Alice Porter

I’m lucky enough to be a health and fitness writer, but that does mean I’m constantly bombarded with new wellness trends that promise to transform my life. Of course, I’ve tried some that have very significantly improved my wellbeing, while others feel more like fads, especially when they seem a bit straightforward or worse, expensive. So, I’m generally fairly skeptical of new concepts in the wellness world.

2 weeks ago | fitandwell.com | Alice Porter

Bad posture can often go unnoticed until it starts having an impact on your quality of life. Telltale signs include constantly tight shoulders or always feeling the need to crack your neck. Most people are now aware that sitting for long periods can affect posture, but some surprising day-to-day factors can wreak havoc too. Mallory Behenna, physical therapist at Brooks Rehabilitation, has noticed four common lifestyle factors amongst her patients that are leading to bad posture.