Anisha Joshi, a.k.a OsteoAnisha, is an award-winning osteopath with a high-profile clientele (Rita Ora and Professor Green to name a few) and a passion for sharing the healing powers of osteopathy.

As most of us continue to work from home, without the assistance of a proper workplace, it’s easy to forget about the damage that sitting down, and a lack of exercise can do to our bodies. On top of this, the stress and anxieties of the pandemic don’t help with muscle tension and general comfort.

That’s where Anisha is stepping in, offering her years of expertise and experience, she has created affordable plans to help you rehabilitate and ease injuries from home, using her own mix of holistic and educational approaches. Anisha has answered our questions to help you prevent and combat the strains caused by this pandemic, everything from her incentive behind her plans, to products to help your posture at home.

So your practice is praised by the likes of Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw and you’ve won awards as a principal osteopath, with your care described as a mix of holistic and medical. How do you combine the two in your clinic?

Osteopaths have undergone a 4-5 year degree which incorporates orthopedics, neurological testing and pharmacology. With this knowledge we take a case history in a patient’s first appointment to take all aspects of their lifestyle into consideration. For example, a patient that suffers with neck pain may need to adjust their work station and also incorporate mindfulness in help with stress that quite often manifests in your shoulder muscles.

You have a project called The Stronger Body Plan which allows people to treat their injuries and prevent further pain from home, which we’re sure became very convenient during this pandemic. What was your reasoning behind this idea? What does the plan entail?

I realised that in my clinic the majority of the aches and pains experienced were very similar as we now live in a society where screen time and HIIT (High-intensity interval) training are the new normal. Patients kept presenting similar aches and pains and I realised what exercises and self-help techniques helped them recover quickly.

I decided to create the stronger plan and split it into areas of the body that most commonly cause pain and discomfort. I have the Upper Body, Lower Body, Hips and Knees. They contain a series of strengthening exercises and foam rolling techniques that can help reinforce the strength around those areas of your body.

You must find correlations and trends in certain osteopathic problems like this all the time. What, from your experience, is the biggest complaint from clients that corresponds to the pandemic at the moment?

I have seen a big rise in headaches that are caused from stress and neck tension. I’ve also seen new complaints of more jaw pain which can also cause headaches from people adapting to masks and hip pain from the increased levels of sitting at home.

With these increased levels of sitting at home, from a lot of people working without the situation of an office space, how can we fix our posture to prevent back pain while working remotely?

Try your best to use a chair that goes up and down, but failing that, always sit on a hard chair, at the back of the seat. Try to use books to lift up your screen to eye level and bring the screen closer towards you. Quite often we lean into our screens when concentrating and this can lead to neck and head pain.

If you get lower back pain, you can put your laptop on your ironing board to then alter the height of your workstation and create a makeshift standing desk.

What are other ways to prevent further back pain while working from home?

It’s important you keep moving. So many people underestimate how much they move in an office setting, even if it’s to get up and talk to a colleague at their desk. Try to step away from your workstation every 45 mins to an hour if you can. Set an alarm on your phone!
Also try not to sit with your legs crossed.

“It is important to keep moving. Try to step away from your workstation every 45 mins to an hour if you can“

There are plenty of ways that we can invest in our home office areas to maximise comfort and concentration and prevent these pains even further. Are there any items you’d recommend to help with posture and back pain while working from home?

• Investing in a good chair that goes up and down and has arm rests is probably the best thing I’d recommend you get.
• A laptop stand to bring your screen to eye level.
• A Bluetooth keyboard so that you can have your forearms resting on the chair armrestsis great.
• Some people find resting their feet on a foot rest can reduce the pressure in their lower back.For those of us that need further osteopathic help with strains, aches and pains, clinic visits and consultations are an important part of getting back to comfort and regularity.

In light of the pandemic and the strain on medical services, people may feel discouraged from seeing an osteopath, or like their pains and strains aren’t important. What’s your message to encourage people that they should still consider treatment at the moment?

Osteopaths are considered essential healthcare and were asked to reopen in lockdown 1 along with Dentists. The reason for this is that by addressing your aches and pains it prevents them from getting worse and needing more medical intervention that requires more urgent hospital care. This in itself is reducing the strain on the NHS massively and ensuring you are able to work and stay on your feet throughout this time.

Now obviously this is a stressful time for everyone, with the working from home, the worrying about loved ones and the alienation of lockdown. These anxieties can be detrimental to our bodies from our physical health to our sleeping patterns. How does stress and anxiety affect the body in terms of osteopathy?

Stress has a huge impact on the body. When we are stressed our breathing changes and this can cause us to hyperventilate subconsciously. Just an altered state in our breathing can impact the rib cage movements, the diaphragm and the neck. Stress also causes teeth clenching and for us to hold our shoulders in a constant state of tension. The muscles that attach onto your jaw and neck are all closely linked to neck pain, upper back pain and this can predispose to headaches. An Osteopath is trained to be able to relax the muscles associated with stress to reduce these symptoms and reduce the level of pain in the patient. Stress can also lead to insomnia and sleep is the most consistent thing that research has shown to help lower back pain. So sleep is a big factor in how your body recovers from injury or aches and pains also.

How can we combat or prevent it?

I advise my patients to take small steps at a time. Looking at stress and pain and trying to deal with all of it in one go can be as daunting as the prospect as someone who wants to lose lots of weight or run a marathon. It’s important to implement one thing at a time… so as well as physically treating the patients symptoms with hands-on osteopathy, I will ask them to try journaling before bed and getting into a good sleep routine. Mindfulness or counselling are also other ways in which I help my patients target stress.

So in relation to osteopathy, what general advice would you give people to help them maintain a healthy body, inside and outside of the pandemic?

Prevention is better than cure. If you are getting a twinge in your body it’s the equivalent of a warning light coming on your car dashboard. If you ignore the warning light, it will eventually stay on and that can cause your body to break down. Osteopaths take your whole lifestyle into consideration and will give you the tools you need in order to help maintain your back and live your life to the fullest. It’s good to check in with an Osteopath every 2/3 months to just give your body a check and enable you to go and workout as much as you want and work productively without ever experiencing pain or discomfort.

Although it can be difficult to keep up with bad habits and certain elements of your physical health during this pandemic, it’s so important to take care of your body beyond your diet and mental health. Adjusting how you work from home, deal with stress and exercise during this difficult time starts with listening to your body and professionals like Anisha who know the importance of posture and joint care for overall well-being and comfort. Pay attention to any strains and keep active and supported while you stay at home.

To find out more about Anisha’s treatments and advice, visit her website.

Words and Interview by Daisy Grace Greetham

The post Why You Are Having Back Pain In Lockdown Explains Award Winning Osteopath Anisha Joshi appeared first on Voir Fashion.

To help us get out of our lockdown slump, we were eager to speak to Ciara Madden on how we can maintain those result educing workouts to help build up your booty! Even when having to disguise your living room as a gym.

Ciara Madden, a.k.a @ciaralondon, is the essence of a fitness powerhouse. Not only is she a PT in helping women achieve incredible results (Rita Ora and Maya Jama being two of her A List clients), Ciara is also an entrepreneur. As the founder of Body by Ciara (@bodybyciara), she is on her way to building a fitness empire.

Known for her panache in making us SWEAT through her killer workouts and booty blasting sessions, it’s her spirit, will-power and vigour that keeps us going. Her female empowered and (recently) online driven PT sessions, have transformed bodies, and ultimately minds, in promoting a healthy approach to working-out and nutrition.

When the pandemic hit the UK in 2020, the dynamic of Body by Ciara took a spin as she was forced to transition her business online. “The pandemic essentially birthed the online leg of my business”, says Ciara. “I created an online training squad where I do workouts from home, twice a day, alongside 16 other trainers, for a subscription fee.” Ciara grabbed hold of an opportunity to create @bodybyciarasquad, a private IG account that has created a fitness community for only £15 a month. With motivational live workouts and ejecting an energy that is nothing but contagious, @bodybyciarasquad came at a time where people needed a sense of connection. “The success of that has meant I’ve been able to launch products and am in the process of opening my own gym.”

A Day in Ciara Life

“I think if this Pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the importance of health. I always make sure that my day starts with a good breakfast (usually oats and fruit) plus a green juice and nice cup of tea.” Besides from training twice a day, getting in those steps with daily walks is just as important to keep her spirits high. “The more active I am, the more energised I feel and the more productive my day tends to be.” Which, according to her daily routine, is very clear to see how Ciara uses each day to its maximum potential- even in a global pandemic! 

7am        | Wake Up 

7.45am  | Workout 

9am        | Breakfast 

10am      | Go for A Walk 

12pm      | Second Workout 

1pm        | Lunch 

2pm        | Go to my gym to check on the builders 

4pm        | Meetings and Zoom Calls 

Booty Workouts. Where to Start?  

Ciara advises that when working to build up that booty, there is no set rule. But in general, it comes down to strength training. “You need to do a certain amount of strength training in order to apply progressive overload,” says Ciara. In fitness terminology that’s to put pressure onto your muscles to encourage their growth. “Resistance training is also great for isolating the glutes and attacking all areas: the Medius, Maximus and Minimus.” Ciara suggests that by smashing the cardio sweat sessions, and as a result shredding fat, a tighter waist will also create the illusion of a bigger booty. A major booty building hack.

What Exercises to Do?  

Growing your glutes isn’t always about the aesthetic. Yes, we all dream of a perfectly peachy bum, but having strong glutes is so much more than that. It will give you hip stability, protect your spine and is crucial for any movement; whether that be walking or running.  

To successfully build your bum you have to figure out what works for you; there isn’t a one-size-fits all routine. Squatting alone won’t do the cut. It’s important to vary your bum workouts for maximum potential and to ensure you’re eating the right things to see the results. “I don’t have one specific exercise”, says Ciara. “I tend to start with a light warm-up, usually including squat jumps and crab walks to wake the glutes up, and then pop on a resistance band and do exercises like standing kickbacks or laying thrusts to activate the glutes.” Once the glutes are energised, Ciara introduces heavy weights into her routine. “To achieve a progressive overload, I use weights for squats, deadlifts, seated abductors etc.”  

Standing Kickback: Stand upright with your hands on your hips and activate your ab muscles. Gently bend your left knee and using your glute muscles, lift your right leg behind you then lower. Repeat this movement on both legs. 

Laying Thrusts: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Squeeze your glutes and drive through your heels to lift your bum up to the ceiling. Hold and then lower.

Seated Abductors: Sit on a chair with your feet on the floor. Place a resistance band around both legs at the knees and in one motion push them away from each other and then slowly back. You can buy Ciara’s bands at ciaralondon.myshopify.com. “They’re one of the few things that give me a bum cramp in about 3 mins.” 

So really, it’s down to quality, not quantity. Ciara opts for shorter booty bursts to really get them working. “I’m a big fan of four-minute rounds. Four minutes of each exercise back to back. By the end of the four minutes I’m usually shaking but its short enough for me to be able to power through.” 

The Importance of Nutrition   

As a vegan, Ciara has been very open about fulling your body correctly for it to reach its maximum potential. “In general, I tell everyone to have a balanced diet – eat protein, eat fats and eat carbs. Stay away from saturated fats and high sugar foods, unless you’re consciously enjoying them as a treat.” 

Whether you’re vegan, veggie or a meat eater, Ciara has crafted 6-week nutrition plans for weight loss, weight gain and sculpting. But when it comes to working on your bum and losing weight, is a calorie deficit necessary in this case? “If you want to lose weight- yes a calorie deficit is necessary. But in the same way if you want to gain wait a calorie surplus is needed. Personally, I don’t live my life that way, and I’m not going to tell anyone to be in a calorie deficit, but it is science.” Ultimately, as Ciara says, moderation is the key to everything.

“Moderation is the key to everything”

And while they aren’t everything, we are so curious to ask Ciara the most argued question in growing your bum. How do you do the perfect squat? “Neutral spine, sit as low into the squat as your knees will allow and drive up through your heels.” If only it were that easy. 

Words and Interview by Clare Stephenson

The post Meet Ciara Madden: The Fitness Entrepreneur who’s Booty Workouts Will Get you Out Your Lockdown Slump appeared first on Voir Fashion.