Nick Phillips - Kinesiologist

07/09/2023

I could not agree more with this pointed article from Blended Athletics that exposes our "sickcare" system for what it really is. The fact remains many of our most common, and most physically, mentally and financially straining diseases are preventable with adjustments in your day to day behaviors. Dave's full article is linked below for your reading pleasure.

Illness such as obesity, diabetes (type 1 and 2), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis and more can all be prevented, managed and in some cases treated with nothing more than some attention paid to your diet and exercise habits.

With previous injuries and illness in mind it can be daunting to undergo these kinds of lifestyle changes on your own. If you're interested in shifting your focus from sick care to health care, send me a message and we can discuss what steps are necessary for you to get on track.

We offer regular program packages (now registering for PAL Fall introduction to exercise program) as well as personal training services to be customized to fit your specific needs.

Email: physicallyactiveliving@outlook.com
DM on Facebook

https://www.blendedathletics.com/journal-1/healthcare?fbclid=IwAR1YN9_mSYBEiU9JWgj-Ikput-CqWN93SdK5W9hEhkxQFqnFcQ4ANyluMSg

Uncover the overlooked health crisis affecting healthcare systems. Explore the connection between obesity and preventable health issues. Discover how addressing lifestyle choices can alleviate pressure on hospitals and emergency rooms. Blended Athletics' blog delves into the hidden problem and calls

05/09/2023

Why sign up for PAL ?

PAL will support your health journey.
PAL will take the guesswork out of your activity habits.
PAL will provide you with the right tools for success.
PAL will ensure you are safe and practicing movement in a meaningful way.
PAL will be your loudest cheerleader.
PAL will provide dad jokes and puns aplenty (not-optional)

What can't PAL do?

PAL can't show up to class for you.
PAL can't register for you.
PAL can't make choices for you.

Sign up now, for a better tomorrow!

Send me a direct message or an email for more information.
Email: physicallyactiveliving@outlook.com

03/09/2023

PAL Fall 2023 - Start date September 30th, Mahone Bay Center at 10:00am.

Don't miss out on your opportunity to make new friends, find a new passion for movement, learn a thing or two and challenge yourself. All wrapped up in our first 6 week program.

Here's a sneak peak at some of the fun we'll have in our first week 🤫

Want to know more? Register now and take part in our 6 week program, upon completion you'll have access to the full program at your finger tips!

Send me a message or email physicallyactiveliving@outlook.com for more information and to reserve your spot today!

01/09/2023

Hey PALS!

Come one, come all and join us for our first Physically Active Living class on September 30th, 2023 at 10:00AM located in the Gymnasium of the Mahone Bay Community Center

Subsequent classes will occur on October 7th, October 14th, October 21st, October 28th and November 5th all at 10:00AM.

This 6 week program will include a variety of forms of interval training, interactive activities to promote community development and experiential learning of fundamental movement skills in a fun and engaging environment.

We could not be more excited to build a community through movement and show all of you the positive impact that being active can have on your mind, body and soul.

Send me a direct message or email physicallyactiveliving@outlook.com for more information or to register now and secure your spot in the class.

30/08/2023

The fact of the matter is; there are endless possibilities to get your activity in each day but no exercise matters more than the one you're willing to do regularly. Being active with friends in an engaging and motivational environment is a recipe for success.

Come work with us in the PAL program launching October 2023 to see the FUN side of physical activity and to light the fire for future movement goals. Spots are filling up fast so don't miss out!

Send me a direct message or an email for more information.

Email: physicallyactiveliving@outlook.com

28/08/2023

Hey folks,

Here’s a quick reminder to email physicallyactiveliving@outlook.com for more information about registering for the 6-Week Fall 2023 PAL program starting October 2023.

As well as a little bit about us KINE’s.

- we are passionate about the biological, psychological and sociological studies of human movement 💪🏻

- we want everyone to experience the benefit physically activity has on the mind, body and spirit 🧘🏻‍♂️

- we are inclusive to all and operate in a judgement free zone 👨‍⚖️

- we specialize in making the first step achievable and enjoyable 🎉

Send me a message for more information on our upcoming PAL program!

27/08/2023

Hello everyone!

We are very excited to introduce ourselves and our mission to promote physical activity in an accessible, fun, and meaningful manor in the south shore.

We love our town and on any given day you can find us out walking the dogs, enjoying one of our wonderful restaurants, coffee shops, deli’s (shout out Jo Ann’s) or exploring our wonderful trail system. Although we have many friends around we have not yet found a community based in movement and so with this endeavour we intend to change that. Movement is not only necessary to age with grace but is fun and empowering for all ages and abilities and we would love to show you the way.

If you have any questions about our program or simply want to chat please send us a message or stop us around town while we walk our fur babies, Frankie (pictured on the right) LOVES new friends.

Be a pal, bring a pal and let’s get moving!

10/06/2020

Jumping further into the very deep hole that is over head reaching mechanics. Use the stretches provided in yesterday’s video to provide some much needed release to your Lats, clearing up space for the shoulders to move more freely!

The journey isn’t finished there though, providing a stable platform for your upper extremity to function off of is vitally important to the safety and reliability of your ability to reach overhead with any amount of significant load or frequency! Develop your proficiency with overhead reaching with these exercises!

✅ Level 1: Foam Roller Wall Slide - Try 15-20 reps on all your upper body lifting days (or a maximum of 4 days per week if you are really limited overhead and want to make tons of progress)

✅ Level 2: Band resisted Wall Slides - Not only is this a great exercise for developing scapular stability but it’s great for challenging your ability to brace your core while reaching overhead.

✅ Level 3: Palloff overhead reach
- A fun variation of a classic anti-rotation core training exercise, modified to suit the needs of an above shoulder athlete or worker (think Olympic weightlifter or carpenter!) - Once confident with the previous two movements, regularly program this Prehab exercise into your exercise plan to reduce your risk of injuries associated with upper extremity over head lifting or manipulation!

05/06/2020

🔈‼️Sound on‼️🔈

Find out why exercise is like brushing your teeth. Or at least, why I think exercise SHOULD be like brushing your teeth. 🦷

The standard for physical activity in Canada is 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity AND 2 resistance training sessions each week. That’s just over 20 minutes each day! ⏰ Do you get that each week?

What ways do you keep active on a daily basis ? 🏋️🤸⛹️‍♂️🧘🏌️‍♂️🚴‍♂️

If you’re not active daily, what are the biggest barriers or reasons you don’t engage daily? 🦾

03/06/2020

TL;DR - Don’t use a screwdriver to hammer a nail if you want to get the job done safely and reliably. Instead, use the right tool for the job.

Welcome to body mechanics part 2 this time with even MORE EMOJIS! 🔥🤯👏🏻

One of the major 🔑 keys 🔑 of body mechanics and working postures (the posture we assume to most effectively accomplish various tasks throughout the day) is using the right tool for the right job. This method sets you up for success right from the get go! 🥇

For instance, if you try to use a screwdriver to hammer a nail, 🔨 how successful will you be? Perhaps at first you wouldn’t have any issue! But what happens over time is you chip away at the integrity of the screwdriver (perhaps the handle cracks, the head may bend or chip, thus decreasing it’s safety and reliability). Remember, it’s not designed for this task so over time you are at risk of breaking the screwdriver. The same can be said in your body, when using the WRONG tool for the WRONG job you may not notice right away but you are certainly at risk of injury over time. ❌

So what tools do what job in your body? Some muscles are meant to produce movement, where some are meant to stabilize. Your peripheral (leg 🦵🏻and arm 💪🏻 muscles) are typically meant to produce movement, these muscles are big, strong, durable tissues that can handle load very well! The peripheral muscles are meant to shorten and lengthen to produce movement. Where as the core and erector muscles of your back are primarily meant for stabilization. These muscles are not meant to shorten or lengthen, instead they are meant to stay the same length but when contracted their rigidity will assist the body in safely applying force via the arms/legs to external objects!

So when training, you want to ensure you are using exercises that tax the muscle in the way it is designed to be utilized (think of using the screwdriver appropriately!). I have attached a few exercises that demonstrate this basic principle, in all this exercise the muscles of the arm are producing movement and my core/erector muscles are ensuring a stable platform for the shoulder to work from.

This is a very simple demonstration of this principle with upper extremity lifting, the principle stays the same but the application more look slightly different depending on the task at hand, more info to come with more complex examples!

03/06/2020

01/06/2020

TL;DR - Posture is not what you would initially assume. There are many different optimal postures to complete many tasks. The important thing is to have awareness over your postures throughout the day, minimize prolonged periods of time in one stagnant posture and always prepare an action plan before completing a task. (I.e., am I using the correct posture for this task?)

I have taken on the role of a virtual education programming instructor for CBI within Nova Scotia and will be teaching a class on Body Mechanics (Biomechanics) 2x weekly. Today was the first day, a highly successful class with lots of great questions.

I wanted to share a few key points that have come out of this class.

First, what is posture ? Most people think of posture as the uncomfortable and unattainable statue like position most armed guards assume while on shift. This is a common misonception, instead it’s helpful to think that posture is about balance. It’s about finding the optimal position for the task at hand, that’s why there is no one correct posture. Instead, a different optimal position for sitting, standing, walking, lifting or any other task you can accomplish in a day! It is important to remember that everybody moves differently but with some key underlying principles and awareness of the positions you find yourself in most often, you too can achieve perfect postural awareness.

One question I got today, what’s the worst posture ? My answer: The one you find yourself in most often.

For example, I find myself sitting at a desk working virtually for a significant portion of my day and despite my best efforts I always end up slouching, shoulders rolled forward, with my butt shoved so far down the chair I am basically sitting on my low back. (But I don’t panic, this is normal to flow in and out of different positions, the important this is to have awareness of this change. Posture is about balance, so correct the error and move forward)

So to counteract this and improve my positioning through the day I am actively engaging in postural awareness exercises, I put a few together before my basketball session tonight to help “undo” the sloppy positions I spent many minutes in during the day.

These are just a couple of my favourite postural exercises, 2 exercises to assist scapular control and the dynamic hip hinge to put the scapular control to the test throughout changes in velocity.

More to come on this topic! Let me know if there are any questions, comments, insults or concerns!

30/05/2020

I love my job for a hundred reasons (just ask, I’ll certainly tell you them all!) and with COVID sending everyone home for a while I have been more than fortunate to be part of a company that was able to pivot our services to the virtual platform.

That being said, going from a job where I am on my feet all day helping people with their physical therapy to bring desk bound in front of a camera has had some negative consequences on my hips in particular.

Despite my best efforts to stand while doing paperwork, getting up and demonstrating exercises as often as required and taking multiple walks to check if the snack fairy dropped anything off in the fridge I still find my hips have been LIT UP recently (not lit in the good way either 🔥).

With that being said, have a look at my slightly thrown together mobility session with a focus on hips. Remember two things when doing stretching/mobility (whatever you want to call it)

1.) Test/Retest a movement to see if you can feel any restriction before/after you mobilize it (I choose the body weight squat)!

2.) Focus on your breathing, big and long diaphragmatic breaths are 🔑 in effectively releasing tissues. You can best see my breathing pattern near the end of the video when I am in the pigeon stretch 🐦

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, insults or concerns! Happy stretching!

19/02/2020

Send me a message or call the clinic if you have any questions! Let’s invest in your future, to keep you happy, healthy and moving well/often!

Let's talk about Prehab and Sport Rehab

Individualized Conditioning Programs for the general public and athletes represent two newly enhanced services offered by CBI Kings.

First is Prehab, otherwise known as preventative rehab. Consider this your clinically trained personal trainer, directed by a Physiotherapist in combination with a Kinesiologist this program will enable you to become proactive and self-sufficient in managing your health! This program is for you if you are interested in maintaining or improving your quality of health, avoiding certain limiters like arthritis, osteoporosis, or are generally noticing difficulties in your daily activities.

Return to sport is another physical conditioning program directed by a Physiotherapist in combination with a Kinesiologist. Return to sport is for the injured athlete who has gone through a traditional healing process but requires assistance bringing themselves back to their pre-injury level of performance and beyond. Work with our Kinesiologist, a certified strength and conditioning specialist to enhance your in-game confidence and abilities!

Pictured below is our kinesiologist Nick Philips working with one of our clients on the " World's best stretch"

01/02/2020

Time for an update:

January is one of the most "fit" months of the year. The month where the resolutioners come out to play! My goal this year is to keep as many of those resolutions alive as possible.

I have two methods of doing this, firstly by announcing that through CBI Kings (contact info on the page) I am now offering Physical Conditioning Programs (I.e., personal training) which are covered under your insurance. If you're a health conscious individual who is looking for a personalized goal oriented, injury prevention and body optimization program then you are exactly who I'm looking to work with!

Secondly, I will aim to keep these resolutions going by inviting you to join me in posting on here and/or on the CBI Activity challenge page (the post below) about your daily activity habits! My goal is to accumulate 250 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week and a minimum of 2 resistance training sessions.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, insults or concerns about the Physical Conditioning Program or the activity initiative! Keep moving!

10/11/2019

Hey everyone! Had a great training session with a friend this morning, spoke a lot about the current climate of the healthcare industry and how important it is to invest in yourself before you need to take time off work due to illness or injury.

A little bit goes a long way, the hardest part can often be the first step but make sure you get out this long weekend and take some time to focus on your health! Go for a walk before the snow and ice officially take over, finish moving the last bits of firewood for the winter indoors! Whatever you have to do to move well and move often get it done!

Let me know in the comments what you’ve done for some exercise this weekend!

09/11/2019

Let’s work together to build a brighter future for healthcare, let’s take stress off of our overloaded doctors and physical therapists and bring our effort to the front line and consistently, persistently pursue a better future for our health!

If this isn’t for you but you know someone who may benefit please share the post!