By ADMIN on January 14, 2026
No matter how well a workstation is designed, problems may arise if attention is not paid to the way the work is done. Working at a computer often involves very few changes in body position. This lack of movement can lead to muscle pain and strain, as well as stiffness. But with a quick few stretches done regularly, you can reduce fatigue and avoid injury.
When doing the stretches, keep in mind the following:
Here are some effective, easy-to-do stretching exercises that you can easily perform at your desk:
Shoulder Rolls: Perform the shoulder roll by raising your shoulders to your ears then slowly roll them back. Make these big circles for about 30 seconds. Then do the circles in the other direction for 30 seconds.
Shoulder Stretch: Place your right hand above the left elbow. Then bring your left arm across your body. Do not rotate your body as you stretch. Hold this for about 15 seconds. You will feel tension in the back of your left shoulder. Repeat the stretch with the other arm.
Eye Relaxation: Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look away from the computer screen for about 20 seconds and focus on a distant object approximately 20 feet away. This will allow you to stretch your eye muscles by making them refocus.
Back Stretch: To do the back stretch, first sit up tall and slowly turn your upper body to the left. Then, place your left arm behind the chair and look over your left shoulder. Hold this for about 15 seconds. Repeat the stretch on the other side.
Neck Stretch: Reach over the head with the left hand then gently pull your head away from the right shoulder. You will feel a nice, easy stretch along the back left side of the neck. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.
Forearm Stretches: Stretch your right arm out in front of you with the hand turned down, fingers pointed towards the floor. Grab your right hand with the left hand and gently pull the fingers towards the body. Hold for about 15 seconds. Switch arms and repeat this stretch. Now stretch your right arm out in front of you with the hand turned upwards, fingers pointed towards the ceiling. Again, grab your right hand, not your fingers, with the left hand and gently pull the fingers towards you. Hold for 15 seconds. Switch arms and repeat.
Farzana is a Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist (CCPE). She provides ergonomics services for Office, Industrial and Service environments including: Ergonomics Risk Assessments (in-person / virtual), Physical Demands Analyses (PDAs), and Ergonomics Training sessions and webinars. To receive more
information about the ergonomics services at Athlete's Care or to request an ergonomics assessment of your workstation, please email ergonomics@athletescare.com.
**Some group insurance providers and/or employers may cover the cost for an ergonomics assessment.
Please check with your group insurance provider and/or employer.
By ADMIN on January 14, 2026
Muscle loss does not start when you are old. It starts in your thirties. At first, it is easy to ignore. You still feel fine. You can still do most things. But small changes begin. You sit more. You move less. Injuries take longer to heal. Back pain and joint pain show up more often. Your body becomes a little less forgiving. If muscle is not trained in these early years, the foundation is weak. What is lost in your thirties is much harder to rebuild later.
As people move into their forties, the effects become harder to ignore. Everyday tasks start to feel heavier. Knees, hips, and shoulders complain more often. Recovery from long days, workouts, or minor injuries takes longer than it used to. Many people begin to avoid certain movements because they are afraid of pain. Over time, that avoidance leads to more weakness, not less pain.
By the fifties, muscle loss speeds up even more. Balance begins to decline. Getting up from the floor feels harder. Carrying groceries or lifting luggage feels risky. Many people lose confidence in their bodies and start moving more cautiously. People stop doing things not because they cannot do them, but because they are afraid they might get hurt.
In the sixties, muscle becomes the difference between staying independent and needing help. A short illness, injury, or surgery can cause a large loss of strength. Time spent resting becomes harder to recover from. Without enough muscle, getting back to normal takes longer each time, and sometimes it does not fully happen.
By the seventies, muscle often decides how someone lives. Weak legs make stairs dangerous. Poor balance increases the risk of serious falls. Weak grip makes daily tasks frustrating. People with more muscle move better, recover faster, and stay in control of their daily lives longer.
Being strong acts like a shield for your body. Low muscle strength is now seen as a health warning sign, similar to things like smoking, diabetes, or high blood pressure. While smoking and diabetes are very serious risks, research shows that low strength can predict poor health and early death just as strongly as many common medical conditions. In some studies, weakness is a better sign of future health problems than weight or cholesterol levels. This does not mean strength replaces medical care, but it shows that muscle strength plays a major role in how well the body handles stress, illness, and aging.
The hardest part about muscle loss is that it happens quietly. You do not notice it day to day. Years can pass before the effects become obvious. When they do, people often blame aging. But aging is not the real problem. Weakness is.
The good news is that muscle can be built and maintained at almost any age. The body responds to strength training even later in life. But muscle only stays if it is used. Walking and staying active are good for health, but they are not enough to protect muscle on their own. Muscle needs resistance and challenge to stay strong.
Strength training does not mean lifting heavy weights or pushing through pain. When done properly, it is safe, controlled, and adjusted to the person. The goal is not to train harder, but to train smarter. Keeping muscle is far easier than trying to rebuild it after it is gone.
Article provided by RMT and Certified Personal Trainer, Ian Paron. Ian knows the importance of maintaining muscle and strength and the vital role they play in both performance and quality of life. Ian shares his passion for strength training with everyone from competitive athletes looking to prevent injury or increase their performance, to retired grandparents wanting to be able to continue to play with their grandchildren.
Click here for more information about Personal Training at Athlete's Care Leaside or call 416-546-9454 today
... moreBy ADMIN on January 14, 2026
Strong, coordinated hip flexors are essential for athletes and runners who sprint, climb hills, or drive the knee forward with efficiency. Resisted hip flexion targets the muscles responsible for lifting the knee while reinforcing core control and pelvic stability - key components of healthy, powerful running mechanics.
When performed correctly, this exercise can improve stride efficiency, reduce compensations, and help decrease stress on the hips, groin, and lower back.
Working with a Runner’s Program physiotherapist ensures this exercise is prescribed at the right time and intensity for your body. A running-specific physio can assess your gait, identify strength or mobility deficits, and tailor exercises like this one to support injury recovery, prevent future issues, and improve performance.
Key focus points:
Maintain tall posture and core engagement
Lift the knee with control—avoid swinging
Move through a smooth, pain-free range
By ADMIN on January 07, 2026
Winter in Toronto brings icy sidewalks, heavy snow, and freezing temperatures, all of which significantly increase the risk of injury. Every year, the practitioners at Athlete's Care physiotherapy clinics see a rise in winter-related injuries, including slips and falls, muscle strains, and joint stiffness. Understanding these common winter injuries, and how to prevent them, can help you stay active and pain-free all season long.
Slips and falls are one of the most common reasons people seek physiotherapy in Toronto during the winter months. These accidents can lead to ankle sprains, knee injuries, wrist fractures, hip pain, and lower back injuries.
How to reduce your risk:
Wear winter footwear with proper traction
Walk slowly and take shorter steps on icy surfaces
Use handrails when available
Keep walkways clear of ice and snow
Snow shoveling places high demand on the lower back, shoulders, and core, especially when performed without a warm-up. Many people experience muscle strains, disc injuries, and shoulder pain after shoveling.
Injury prevention tips:
Warm up your muscles before shoveling
Push snow instead of lifting when possible
Keep loads close to your body
Take frequent breaks to avoid overexertion
Cold temperatures reduce circulation and increase muscle stiffness, making muscles and joints more vulnerable to injury.
How to stay loose:
Dress in layers to keep muscles warm
Stretch before and after activity
Maintain regular movement throughout the day
Activities such as skating, skiing, and winter running can lead to overuse injuries if your body isn’t properly conditioned.
Injury prevention strategies:
Gradually increase activity levels
Cross-train to avoid repetitive strain
Address early signs of pain before they worsen
If pain, stiffness, or limited mobility lasts more than a few days, seeing a physiotherapist, massage therapist and/or chiropractor can help prevent chronic issues and speed up recovery. Early assessment and treatment can make all the difference during the winter months.
... moreBy ADMIN on December 16, 2025
If you run in Canada, you know the ritual: the watch charges overnight, the playlist downloads, the route is mapped, and the pace goals are set before you even lace up. For many of us, GPS has become the real running partner—steady, reliable, and sometimes bossy. But what happens when you run without it? No splits. No pace alerts. No data to upload. Just you, your breath, and the pavement. Welcome to naked running - a growing trend that asks runners to ditch the tech and reconnect with what their body is doing, not what their screen says.
We’re a data-driven generation. Garmin, Strava, and every running app on the planet have trained us to chase metrics like they matter more than the run itself. But many runners (including elites) are stepping back and asking: Is all this data making me better or just more anxious? Dropping the tech can create a surprising sense of freedom. Without constant feedback, runners report feeling less pressure to perform and more willing to tune into effort, mood, and terrain. Instead of running to hit a number, you run because you want to.
And in a city like Toronto—where you can go from the Martin Goodman Trail to the Don Valley trails in minutes—there’s something grounding about actually feeling your surroundings without the background of beeps and buzzes.
When you run naked, you start to notice things you usually ignore: how your breathing changes on a long steady climb, whether your stride feels light or heavy, or when your body is telling you it’s time to push or pull back. This internal pacing system—often known as the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)—is a runner’s sixth sense. But it needs practice. The more we outsource pacing to technology, the duller that sense becomes. Running without GPS helps retrain your ability to:
When you run naked, you start to notice things you usually ignore: how your breathing changes on a long steady climb, whether your stride feels light or heavy, or when your body is telling you it’s time to push or pull back. This internal pacing system—often known as the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)—is a runner’s sixth sense. But it needs practice. The more we outsource pacing to technology, the duller that sense becomes.
There’s something inherently meditative about a tech-free run. Without the constant checking, comparing, or judging, many runners report:
Your run becomes more about the experience and less about the outcome. It’s the difference between asking “How fast did I go?” and “How did that feel?” One connects you to the sport; the other connects you to yourself.
Surprisingly—yes, for some runners. When you learn to pace by feel, you stop burning matches early. You run more consistently. You shift your focus to mechanics, breathing, and rhythm. You develop a natural sense of your gears. Even some elites use it regularly to prevent over-training and keep their intuition sharp. Many coaches recommend naked running for:
If the thought of running without a watch gives you heart palpitations, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, your run counts even not on Strava. If you’re really losing it, you can upload it manually after (without the gps file). You might be surprised by how good your running feels when it’s not being graded. Start with something simple:
We have route variety, soft-surface trails, low-pressure park loops, and epic waterfront stretches that demand to be felt, not measured. Naked running is easier when the environment is worth paying attention to—and Toronto’s running landscape delivers. Try:
Technology can make running better. But it can also make it noisier. Naked running isn’t about rejecting data, it’s about remembering you don’t need it to run well. Sometimes the simplest way to improve your running is to take everything off. Except your clothes.
Lauren Roberts has trained the staff at Athlete’s Care with her running program. To find the Athlete’s Care location closest to you, see athletescare.com
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