Massage is a practice that dates back over 4,000 years, with the first records of its existence coming from ancient Egypt and China. Most well-known for its ability to relieve stress and loosen the muscles, massage is increasingly being used in conjunction with other forms of treatment, and is now standard practice in areas such as rehabilitation, pain management, and injury prevention. But our knowledge of the effects that massage can have on our bodies is ever-growing, and we now know that it can be used to help treat a huge variety of conditions. So what exactly are the benefits of massage?

If you’re someone who takes their fitness seriously, then you’ll be familiar with the ancient proverb “Never skip leg day”. Although this is usually intended as a joke about how difficult it can be to add mass to the legs, it also highlights how a lot of people distribute their efforts unequally across the different muscle groups. Whether the goal is to increase strength or simply tone up their vanity muscles, it is quite common for people to focus their attention on the muscles they think will make the biggest difference.

Since joining the EU in 1973, Ireland has increasingly shifted from an agricultural economy to a knowledge economy. While this has dramatically improved our quality of life in many ways, the change in the economy has also created a change in the kind of work we do, which in turn has had a big effect on our levels of physical activity.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four main ligaments in the knee, connecting the femur to the tibia. It is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee, with most injuries occurring as a result of sharp turns or sudden movements in sports. As the ACL is essential for maintaining balance and stability, it is crucial to ensure that any injuries are properly treated, particularly if you play sports.

We each have 23 spinal discs separating the vertebrae in our backs and acting as shock absorbers. Occasionally, these can put pressure on spinal cord nerves, which can lead to pain in both the back and the area controlled by those nerves. When this occurs, it is known as a slipped, herniated, or prolapsed disc.

One harsh reality of competitive sports that is often brushed over is that it doesn’t just matter how good you are, it matters how good you are in relation to other people. Usually this isn’t a major problem in the long run, as most of us will not go on to be professional athletes. But for people who take their sports a bit more seriously, knowing how they compare to their friends and regular teammates isn’t enough; even a terrible athlete can win best player as long as everyone else is worse.

When it comes to trying to get in a bit of extra physical activity, cycling can be a great choice. One of the biggest advantages of cycling as a way to get fit is that it can be done competitively, recreationally, or even practically as a mode of transport. Pretty much all of us could easily find a way to incorporate cycling into our regular routine, so we’re going to look at some of the top tips for beginner cyclists.

To the average person, an osteopath, a physiotherapist, and a chiropractor may seem like more or less the same job. All deal with musculoskeletal pain, require a university degree, and certification from an accredited course.

As any good athlete can tell you, allowing your body the opportunity to recover after exercise is just as important as the exercise itself. Failure to do so can lead to problems such as inflammation, lactate buildup, and overuse injuries. But the recovery process isn’t as straightforward as it seems, and there are actually two major types of recovery that you need to consider: active and passive.

Hiking can be a very rewarding activity for people of all ages. It’s a great way to get people out of the house and into nature, and gives us the opportunity to get in some vigorous exercise, while still allowing us to go at our own pace. Hiking is a very effective form of aerobic exercise that yields a lot of benefits for our physical health, and mental health as well. But like all forms of physical exercise, hiking is not without its risks, and there are certain injuries you become more susceptible to if you take it up.

Despite being over 5,000 years old, yoga remains one of the most popular forms of exercise and relaxation all across the world. The benefits of yoga are far-reaching, with increased flexibility and muscle strength, improved respiration and circulation, and weight loss being some of the main reasons the exercise has remained so popular over the years. People also enjoy yoga because it allows them to move gently at their own pace towards achieving their own goals, whether that means improving their overall health, or focusing on a specific issue.

Over the last few years, there has been a spike in the interest surrounding LISS workouts among those in the fitness community, particularly on social media. LISS, which stands for Low Intensity Steady State exercise, is a form of cardio exercise that has grown in popularity due to a number of reasons, such as the fact that it is free, relatively easy, and can be done in a variety of different ways.

With the CrossFit Open kicking off, we asked one of our expert team, Richard, to give his top tips for athletes competing and taking part in it. Not only does he work with a lot of CrossFit boxes across Dublin, but he’s competed in the Open himself so has experience with what really happens and what you’ll be facing with the workouts.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the feeling of pain and weakness that begins to set in after a person tries a new exercise for the first time. The symptoms of DOMS can begin to manifest hours after the exercise is carried out, becoming more noticeable the following day, and peaking about 48 hours later.

Skiing is an interesting sport, in that even the least sporty person in the world might take it up if given the chance. Maybe this is because of the scenery, the lack of competitiveness, or the fact that there are slopes for people of all skill levels, but the fact is that skiing is a popular sport for people of all ages and from all walks of life. But if you have never been skiing before, it can be hard to know how physically demanding it is. Can sliding downhill really be that difficult?

Pillows are something we use pretty much every night of our entire lives, so it’s not surprising that we each have our own personal pillow preferences. Over time, we tend to get used to certain types of pillows, and end up gravitating towards pillows that are hard or soft enough, stuffed with down rather than polyester, or use some sort of memory foam. But even if we have built up these preferences over the course of our whole lives, liking a certain type of pillow doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you.

We’ve all heard of whiplash, with the condition featuring regularly in both TV and film. In many of these storylines, the characters are usually involved in some sort of minor fender-bender, and immediately embark on a comedic display of pain in the hopes of securing a big insurance payout. But for many people, this is where their knowledge of whiplash ends. In order to better understand this common condition, we are going to look at exactly what happens when you get whiplash.

Although many people see the start of a new year as a sign of the opportunities that lie ahead, many others suffer from what is known as the “January blues”. Also known as the holiday blues, this is a form of situational depression, and can easily be confused for similar conditions, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder.

When we think about staying healthy, we tend to think about exercising and eating well. But another one of the most fundamental factors of our health that is frequently overlooked is our sleeping pattern. The quality of our sleep has an enormous impact on our mental capacity and mood, which in turn have a huge effect on our ability to stay physically fit. The power and importance of a good night’s sleep should not be underestimated, so here are a few tips to help you get the best rest you can.

Every January, people all over the world commit to exercising more and getting back into shape. But over 70% of people will give up on their goals before the achieve them, with about half of those giving up before mid-February. The most common reasons given for quitting early are that the new routine is too hard to stick to, or that people simply can’t find the time to follow through on their commitments. Here, we’re going to look at a few ways you can set your goals and become part of the 30% that achieves them.