In Defence of Body Fat
I recently found myself looking in the mirror and being grateful for my body fat. It was the first time in my life that I’d ever had such a feeling. My epiphany was: Body fat has a purpose. It is an integral part of any healthy organism. We all need it if we want to…
Diagnosis: High Blood Pressure. Now What?
What is blood pressure and why is hypertension a problem? Here’s what you need to know about this important health metric. What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is a measurement of the amount of force the heart has to exert to pump blood around the body. High blood pressure, aka hypertension, indicates that the heart…
Managing hEDS & HSD Flares
The symptoms that beget a flare are not the same across individuals because each person with hEDS or HSD is unique. Flare patterns can be broken or changed no matter how entrenched they may seem within your system. Building the confidence to navigate flares and improve your baseline health will carry over into how well you can get through a flare, how often they occur, and how quickly you can recover from one.
Pain 101
Pain is something we’ve all experienced at some stage in life so it stands to reason that most of us assume we know what it is (a noxious stimulus) and what causes it (bodily harm and tissue damage). But that isn’t the complete picture. In the last decade we have come to understand pain’s nuances in a different light and studies are nowhere near from over. The following article is an introduction to the influencing factors in pain sensation within acute stages (<6 months).
Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
Intermittent fasting has been one of the most popular health hacks and weight loss approaches of the past decade. Although research has shown that fasting can have beneficial health effects and contribute to weight loss, what most articles don’t detail are the underlying mechanisms at play and the most effective ways to fast. As with…
Diagnosis: High Blood Sugar (A1C). Now what?
What is blood sugar and why are high levels a problem? Here’s what you need to know about A1C, fasting glucose and all things related to blood sugar. What is blood sugar? Blood sugar, otherwise known as blood glucose, is the body’s main source of energy. When we eat carbohydrates, the digestive process breaks them…
Safe Exercise Choices for Hypermobility
An article by Fréyja Spence for FitPro UK, originally published Aug 21, 2024 All images by Taylor Oakes What are safe exercise choices for the hypermobile body? It depends. Health and fitness professionals who work directly with clients understand that exercise recommendations are highly individualised. Factors such as a person’s health and injury history, goals,…
Diagnosis: High Cholesterol. Now What?
What is cholesterol and why are high levels a problem? Here’s what you need to know about this highly-nuanced topic. What is Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a fat-like molecule that is essential for human life. It is required by the human body in several ways: Given that cholesterol does not dissolve well in blood (due to…
Why Weight Loss Won’t Make You Happy
Does a focus on weight loss enhance well-being? Or does it distance us from what matters most? As we’ve discussed in previous articles, the weight loss industry is massive. While there are benefits to be derived from weight loss in certain circumstances, it has been upsold to us as a panacea for improved health and…
Low Back Pain (The Flowist)
How breathing, mobility and endurance are impacted by the experience of pain by Fréyja Spence for The Flowist Low Back Pain (LBP) is increasingly common in our society in adolescents and adults alike. When left unresolved, it is associated with reduced tolerance for activities of daily living and a lower quality of life. Although it was once…
Rethinking Weight Loss
Is a focus on weight loss the best path to health? At some point in life we all look in the mirror and have the thought: “I need to lose weight”. Over time we all develop our own image of what an ideal body looks like, but one pervasive societal message drives the narrative: If…
After Diagnosis: hEDS and HSD
A diagnosis of hEDS or HSD isn’t the end of the road If you’ve just received confirmation of your HSD or hEDS diagnosis, you may be wondering what comes next, what needs to change, what the solutions are, or even whether your current state is “as good as it gets”. Depending on your symptoms, you…
5 Exercises for Pain-Free Golf
Bulletproof your body and your golf game Do you think golfers qualify as elite athletes? Even just a few years ago, most would have answered that question with a resounding “no”. Golf hasn’t exactly been known for its high calibre athletes because as much as the skill-specificity and precision is high, other markers of fitness…