Health and Fitness Archives - Life with Scoliosis

Scoliosis and Body Confidence: My 5 Tips

Posted on May 9, 2022May 9, 2022 by Louise

Hi all, As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought I would do a post to talk about scoliosis and body confidence. Scoliosis is a spinal condition, and in my case my spine is curved in the shape of an 'S.' It's a chronic condition, which means it's something I have to live with forever. Scoliosis has many symptoms including pain and stiffness but an important symptom is how scoliosis can affect body confidence, self worth and overall mental...Read More

7 Mistakes I Made When I was First Diagnosed with Scoliosis

Posted on May 10, 2021August 25, 2021 by Louise

This blog post is all about the mistakes I made when I was first diagnosed with scoliosis. Can you relate to any of these? Let me know in the comments. Isolating myself The first and major mistake I made when I was first diagnosed with scoliosis was isolating myself. I didn't tell anyone about my scoliosis for a long time. I used to spend most nights alone in my room feeling pretty down and upset about myself. If you have...Read More

Pilates for Scoliosis: Fusion Friendly Pilates

Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 by Louise

There is no argument that a strong core is important for those of us with scoliosis. A strong core helps to keep our backs strong, which in turn can reduce back pain. Pilates is the perfect exercise for scoliosis in this respect but it can be difficult to know which are the best exercises to do, especially if you have had a spinal fusion. Pilates For Scoliosis Emily is the founder of Build & Breathe Pilates and works predominately with...Read More

Glute Exercises for Runners: My Top 10

Posted on January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 by Louise

Hi everyone, As you may (or may not!) be aware, I love to run. Over the years (post spinal fusion), I have ran 6 half marathons, countless 10k's and over 60 parkruns. Pandemic aside, I'm a member of a local run club and was training for a marathon this time last year. Over the last few months, I have not been able to run due to an injury to (I think) a tendon in my right leg, which causes ankle...Read More

Dealing with Anxiety

Posted on January 29, 2021January 29, 2021 by Louise

Like a lot of people, I have been struggling with anxiety recently, more so over the last few months. The uncertainty around lockdown, social isolation and the pandemic in general have (unsurprisingly) resulted in an increase in mental health issues, and also, a general awareness of them too. I have always been a worrier, ever since I was a child. My main anxiety has always been around my health. As a child, I remember checking myself for breast cancer and...Read More

Scoliosis and Mental Health: My Story

Posted on October 3, 2020January 29, 2021 by Louise

It's World Mental Health Day on 10th October, which got me thinking about how scoliosis has impacted my own mental health. What many people don't realise, is that scoliosis is more than a back condition. Depending on severity and location of curve(s), scoliosis can cause physical deformity, pain, neurological issues, breathing, digestive problems, and more. It is also a chronic condition, meaning it cannot be cured and it can also be progressive in severe cases. All this is not to...Read More

Yoga for Scoliosis

Posted on April 13, 2020October 23, 2020 by Louise

Yoga for Scoliosis: Benefits Since my scoliosis surgery, Yoga is something I have been afraid of and in the past, actively avoided. Because I have scoliosis and a fused spine, I automatically thought "I'm not bendy enough" and dismissed it. I have been to the odd Yoga class here and there but struggled with some of the moves, which initially put me off. However, since I have gotten into running, and more specifically, started marathon training, I have found Yoga...Read More

5 ways to look after your mental health during lock-down

Posted on April 3, 2020January 29, 2021 by Louise

We are coming to the end of the first two weeks in lock-down in the UK and honestly, at times it can be hard. I know that other people have it worse than me. I know that key workers are having to go into work whilst I can work safely from home. I know that millions are home schooling their children, whilst attempting to work full time, whilst I don't have kids. I know I'm probably one of the lucky...Read More

5 Self Care Tips for those with Scoliosis

Posted on November 28, 2019January 29, 2021 by Louise

5 Self Care Tips for Scoliosis Over the past year, I have been living life on full speed, and as a result, have recently made myself pretty ill and run down. This has been very frustrating for me, as I've not been able to run or do the things I enjoy for a while. But this forced rest has made me realise something. That although I have been trying to focus on myself over the last 8 months or so...Read More

Running and Mental Health

Posted on April 2, 2018January 29, 2021 by Louise

Running and Mental Health It's Mental Health Awareness week 14th - 20th May 2018, so to raise awareness I thought I'd write a post on the effect running has had on my own mental health. It's well documented that running can be good for mental health, and everyone has reasons why they run. For some it's to lose weight, keep fit or socialise. For others, it's escapism from a stressful job or the strains of everyday life. Personally, I run for...Read More

My Body Pump Results – part 1

Posted on February 18, 2017April 13, 2020 by Louise

So, a few months I wrote a post about how I have started to go to Body Pump classes at my gym in a bid to build strength. The reason I decided to start Body Pump was because, after injuring my shoulder muscles through running, I realised I needed to get stronger. I think Body Pump for me is a way of taking control of my condition. Hopefully, by building stronger muscles, this will help to protect my back and...Read More

Veganuary: why I went vegan for a month

Posted on February 1, 2017April 12, 2020 by Louise

This January, as part of my New Years Resolution, I took part in Veganuary. For those of you who have not heard of Veganuary, it's basically going vegan for the month of January. So this may seem slightly unrelated to scoliosis but I feel like for me, healthy eating and looking after myself goes hand in hand with scoliosis. I feel like I try and eat healthily and work out BECAUSE I have scoliosis. It's kind of my way of...Read More

10 simple scoliosis exercises you can do at work

Posted on January 21, 2017April 13, 2020 by Louise

When you work full time, it is sometimes difficult to fit in enough time each week to exercise. Having scoliosis means keeping core muscles strong in order to protect the spine. We have to be more determined in maintaining a healthy body, no matter how busy our schedule gets. I thought I'd share a useful infographic which shows some simple exercises that you can do right in the comfort of your office. The best part about these exercises is that...Read More

Getting Fit with Scoliosis: My 5 Best Scoliosis Exercises

Posted on December 28, 2016October 23, 2020 by Louise

Getting Fit with Scoliosis: 5 Best Exercises for Scoliosis This post contains affiliate links I thought I'd share my favourite scoliosis exercises and fitness challenges that have helped me since my scoliosis surgery. If you have scoliosis and fancy a new challenge, or want to get fitter, why not give some of the below a try.. 1. 10K steps a day challenge I personally think the 10K steps a day challenge is a fantastic challenge for those of us with...Read More

Body Pump

Posted on October 16, 2016April 13, 2020 by Louise

So, for about 6 weeks now, I've been going to Body Pump classes twice a week at my gym. For those who don't know what Body Pump is, it is a 60 minute class where you use a barbell and weights throughout. It focuses on strengthening and toning by using light to moderate weights with lots of repetition and pretty much covers all the major muscle groups in your body so you get a full body workout. A few years...Read More