Stretching- Passive vs Active range

What is passive stretching and what is active stretching? The best way to explain this is to demonstrate it…

Start by holding out your right hand, keeping your fingers together, then without using your left hand stretch your right thumb as far back as you can. Now, using your left hand, gently pull your right thumb back.  Did you notice that with the assistance of your left hand your right thumb went back further than when you were just stretching it back?

The part where you can move your right thumb without assistance is called active
range. The additional range is called passive range, and you have it at every joint.
You cannot control the passive range of motion through your nervous system. It is the point where active and passive range cross over is where many injuries occur.

Dancers are a great example of those who can be at high risk of passive range injuries. Many dancers have a high proportion of hyper-mobile joints. A quick example of this is a backbend. Most people have a backbend range of no more than 25 degrees, whereas those with hypermobility in their lower backs will have a far greater range than this. As they are able to access these ranges without assistance, meaning they are in active range.

Problems begin to occur if they are then required to match other hyper-mobile dancers or the expectations of the performance they are doing exceeds their natural abilities. To overcome this they can use momentum to push their body into passive range, they will then need to rely on that momentum to carry them back out of it. 

This can result in a far bigger injury than your average person would typically incur. But it isn’t just one area of the body that dancers are likely to have hyper-mobility, they may have it throughout their body, and they will therefore be more likely to end up in their passive range of motion, and more likely to get injured if they are not mindful.

So why does this make a difference to you?

Loading passive range is incredibly dangerous because you have no control of it,
and without control, you can’t ensure that that load goes through the muscles intended, which is ultimately why it causes injury.

This is why some trainers advocate partial range exercises. That being said it can be possible to train and increase your active range. If you find the crossover point between passive and active range, by doing safe movements, you can work on maintaining active control of the range. This will increase your active range and by extension allow you to work the joint to a fuller range, as well as decrease your chances of an injury at that joint.

It is recommended that you only work on this with the support of a personal trainer who specialises in active and passive range. You can see all of our personal trainers by clicking here. This blog piece was provided by active and passive range specialise Richard Kelly.

Richard’s bio:
Functional training advocate Richard has dedicated years of active learning towards the accumulation of new skills for the purpose of supporting his private clients Richard’s ability to offer nutritional support only enhances the final result.
Disciplines: Personal training, Pilates, Running and Stretching.

Top 3 Benefits of ‘Me Time’

It’s always important to take time for yourself and prioritise ‘me time.’ It can be difficult to do this in our busy daily life, but the benefits are extremely rewarding. Spending time alone is worthwhile and studies have shown that ‘me time’ helps increase productivity, happiness, and gratitude. And just remember, ‘me time’ is a way to celebrate yourself! Take time out of your busy day to unwind and recharge with these 3 top benefits of prioritising ‘me time.’

Enhanced Well-Being

Taking time to do something solely for yourself helps enhance your mood, makes you feel more positive, and more fulfilled. High quality ‘me time’ helps strengthen your well-being and studies show that those who experience quality ‘me time’ enjoyed better work-life balance and were more engaged during a work day. Dr. McDowall, from Birkbeck’s University of London, says the following: “Our research suggests that if people take time out to recharge their batteries and experience the time taken out as high quality, this reaps benefits for their own psychological well-being, their family relationships and for their employers as they are more likely to perform better at work.”

Boost Your Relationships

Making yourself a priority is beneficial for your overall well-being, and shows people around you that you respect your own needs. ‘Me time’ helps put you in a healthy mindset, energising you and enhancing your happiness, allowing you to be in the best possible position to love and care for the people around you. ‘Me time’ may also help your appreciation of the relationships around you after spending some time alone.

Lessen Stress

Taking the time to be obligation-free with ‘me time’ every once and awhile helps take your mind off your daily stresses and allows you to relax and enjoy your day more. Make sure to treat yourself, whether that be a cup of coffee alone in a cafe with a good book or your favourite episode of Friends on Netflix. In the mood to surround yourself with silence? Try meditating. Meditation is the perfect way to clear out any negative thoughts you may be having and will help give you a positive outlook on life. If you have never meditated and don’t know how to start, try a TruBe session with one of our therapists. We’ll help clear your mind and take away your stress.

We hope these benefits have inspired you to take some ‘me time’ and enjoy being with yourself. Creating quiet time for yourself is crucial to helping become the best possible version of you.

Your TruBe Team

Pride of England: What You May Not Know

Throughout this tournament the nation has shown unity and a strong sense of sportsmanship. It is safe to say the England team can return with their heads held high, knowing that we still ‘believe’. It is times like this we are truly proud to be British.

Southgate you’re still’ the one.

The football may have taken the limelight, however, there is a lot to be proud of this July. We want to give a shout out to all the amazing events taking place and the people involved!

Get a unique look at these prideful England events with a list of our favourite facts.

World Cup

It’s Coming Home! Well almost… The World Cup is the most captivating international football tournament, and only comes once every 4 years. 1990 marks the year we last made it to the semi-finals…let’s hope we don’t have to wait as long for our next shot.

Over one billion fans across the globe tune into this anticipated event and are brought together through a sense of pride. Think you know everything there is to know about the World Cup? Let’s see if you know these top 5 football fanatic facts:

  1. In 1966, the World Cup trophy went missing for 7 days.

  2. Brazil holds the most titles in the World Cup, with 5 wins total.

  3. During the 2010 South Africa World Cup, over 750,000 liters of beer were sold in stadiums, equivalent to 3,170,064 beers!

  4. Oleg Salenko has scored the most goals (5) by one player in a World Cup match.

  5. The winning team of the World Cup takes home 35 million dollars whilst the runner up takes home 25 million!

Wimbledon

Wimbledon takes place at the All England Club in London and is one of the most celebrated tennis events in the world. Not only is this the perfect event to indulge in the famous strawberries and cream, but it’s the place to see Novak Djokovic become the Wimbledon champion against Kevin Anderson for this year!  Here are 5 top facts you may not know about the world’s oldest tennis tournament:

  1. The most recent male British player to win the singles events was Andy Murray in 2013.

  2. Wimbledon has a strict dress code, stating that all players must be dressed in white and players will be asked to change if they do not meet the requirements.

  3. Ball Boys and Ball Girls keep track of the fast-moving tennis balls during a game, and months before Wimbledon, they go through intense training sessions to thoroughly prepare.

  4. The longest match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, taking place at the 2010 tournament and lasting over 3 days!

  5. During a game, lots of grunting takes place, and the loudest grunt came in 2009 from Maria Sharapova, reaching around 105 decibels.

Pride

#LoveisLove! Pride is a celebration of the LGBT community and has returned to London this summer. It is one of the biggest parades in the UK and draws nearly a million people. How much do you really know about this rainbow movement? Test your pride knowledge with 5 exclusive facts about this iconic movement.

  1. The original pride flag, made up of 8 different colours, was created in the 1970s and designed by an artist named Gilbert Baker in San Francisco.

  2. Brenda Howard, a bisexual activist, organised the first pride parade a month after the Stonewall Inn Riots in 1969.

  3. The world’s largest flag, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was the rainbow pride flag and measured a mile long!

  4. Amsterdam hosts a pride parade where the floats float on water, the only pride parade in the world to be in water.

  5. The only pride celebrations on the continent of Africa take place in South Africa, and the first parade was held in 1990 with less than 1,000 people showing up.

We hope you have enjoyed these unique facts about these 3 significant July events and it inspires you to get outside and show your pride for beautiful England. Looking to work off all your indulgences you’ve had whilst watching either the World Cup or Wimbledon? Our trainers and therapists are here for you and ready to help challenge you. Book with us today!

Happy Celebrating!

Your TruBe Team

 

The Present Souls of Meditation

Our new discipline has just arrived at TruBe: meditation! We believe the mind, body, and breath should work as one and learning to coordinate your thoughts and channel your inner emotion is extremely beneficial for one’s own soul. There are countless benefits of meditation, such as being a compliment to any workout, reducing stress, and balancing out your busy day ahead. In honour of this relaxing practice, we want to shed light on popular celebrities of today’s age who practice the art of meditation on a daily basis. Read up on our last blog post about the important past souls of meditation and how this beautiful practice came to be. 

Miranda Kerr

“Taking the time to just be and to reflect through meditation and chanting helps me to connect to a higher energy.” – Miranda Kerr 

Miranda Kerr, an Australian model, actress, and author, has been a true lover of meditation for the past 20 years. She starts her mornings with 30 minutes of meditation to help get her in a relaxing and positive mindset for the day ahead. Miranda finishes off her meditation with writing down one thing she is grateful for in her journal. She strongly believes that a mere 5 minutes of meditation in the morning and night can be extremely beneficial to your overall wellbeing.

Paul McCartney

“I believe that in the future, meditation could be as commonplace in schools and society as eco-awareness is now. It interests me that an ancient cure may be the solution to a modern problem.” – Paul McCartney

One of the founding members of The Beatles, the legendary Paul McCartney has been practicing meditation for the past 50 years. McCartney has said the following about his beloved practice: “In moments of madness, meditation has helped me find moments of serenity — and I would like to think that it would help provide young people a quiet haven in a not-so-quiet world.” McCartney practices Transcendental Meditation, a simple technique in which one lets their mind settle into a completely calm and wise state of rest. Whenever he as a spare moment, he will meditate, and believes strongly in getting a still moment in daily life to reflect on one’s own inner self.

Oprah Winfrey

“That way of being ‘still’ with ourselves – coming back to the center – and recognizing that something is more important than you, it’s more important than the work you are doing, brings a kind of energy and an intensity of energy, an intention that we have never had before.” – Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey, the iconic talk show host, actress, and producer, has been meditating for over a decade. She brought the practice to her talk show, introducing the technique and setting aside time in the day to mediate with her company. “Nine o’clock in the morning, and 4:30 in the afternoon, no matter what is going on, we stop and we meditate,” Oprah said in an interview by Dr Mehmet Oz, broadcasted on The Dr. Oz Show.  She makes it a priority to center herself daily with meditating and finds that it truly benefits her well being. 

We hope these present day souls have inspired you to incorporate the practice of meditating into your daily life. Scared to start alone? Our specialists are always here for you, in a location of your choosing. Focus solely on your wellbeing and book a meditation session with us today. We have a range of highly qualified therapists to choose from, such as the lovely Angelica.

Angelica is a devoted yoga and meditation specialist whose sessions will be a safe space with only positive vibes and deep relaxation. She has been studying ‘sound frequency and therapy’ and will incorporate it into a session. This is the perfect compliment to your yoga sessions, as you will be more receptive than normal, allowing you to feel the frequency of the singing bowls.  Be immersed in the moment and book with Angelica today.

See you soon!

Your TruBe Team

Top 4 Benefits of Couples Yoga

Did you know yoga means ‘union’ in Sanskrit and is used to signify any form of connection? This definition is exactly what couples yoga or ‘partner yoga’ is all about. Not only does this medium enhance your physical relationship, but your mental relationship as well. Julia Lehram, a psychotherapist and certified yoga instructor, says the following: A couples yoga experience can serve as a kind of mini ‘retreat’ or ‘workshop’ to strengthen a relationship.

Couples yoga requires partners to really be in the moment, pay attention to each other and work together toward common goals. This practice truly brings people together and we’re here to let you in on the exclusive top benefits.

Photo Credit: @meliniseri 

Strong Communication

Throughout a session of couples yoga, you must rely on one another, constantly communicating through touch and eye contact. This constant communication requires the undivided attention from both partners and a strong level of trust. Physical touch is a language in itself, with the power of touch being able to convey a strong sense of emotion. A strong component of couples yoga is mimicry, the act of being able to match your partner’s mood. Movement like mimicry can greatly help increase bonding with your partner, according to a study done by The British Psychological Study. The verbal and nonverbal movements displayed in couples yoga is extremely beneficial for creating a deeper level of connection and communication skills.

Photo Credit: @desertswanblog 

Letting Go

Couples yoga is all about the art of learning to let go and enjoy life to the fullest without any unnecessary stress. After a stressful day at work, it’s normal to want to take out some of your frustration on your partner. This energy can easily be converted into positive energy. By taking part in couples yoga, you are learning to let go of unwanted stress and approach the world with fresh, new eyes. One of the biggest parts of learning to let go is having total trust in your partner. Let your guard down, and don’t be afraid to try something new! Your partner will be with you every step of the way, helping to uplift you and take away any anxiety you may have.

Photo Credit: @moderntarzan 

Embracing Laughter

Did you know laughing together as a couple is a sign that you are on a path to lasting love? Jeffrey Hall, from University of Kansas, conducted his studies around the importance of humour in a relationship, and his research shows that laughing is a true sign of a “spark.” Couples yoga creates a great deal of fun, allowing for a carefree and safe sanctuary. You will find some poses difficult and oftentimes humorous, allowing for a relaxed and enjoyable environment. It is not just about the outcome, but about the journey and what you learn along the way.

Photo Credit: @moderntarzan 

Creating Balance

In couples yoga, there is never a giver or receiver in a certain yoga pose. Both partners are equally engaged and have one common goal in mind: to support one another. This helps create the perfect sense of balance in a couples yoga session. This not only helps you in a session, but benefits your relationship outside of yoga. Every relationship is unique in its own way and has many different points of balance. Taking time to stay true to yourself, each other, and your values will help you create a balance that works for you and your partner.

Photo Credit: @moderntarzan 

Now it’s time to get your partner and roll out a mat! Looking for the perfect yoga instructor in a private environment? We got you! Book a session with us and you can add your partner to your session in any desired location. See you soon!

Your TruBe Team