By July we have exhausted the myriad of excuses as to why we haven’t fully returned to our summer activities and sports.

With the beginning of another school year comes the all important decision of which backpack to buy. School children today have the tremendous benefits of an astounding variety of classes and curriculum

Over the past 10 to 15 years, ‘core stability’ has become synonymous with abdominal strength. The fact of the matter is that the abdominal muscles are given too much credit when it comes to real core strength. The abdominals posses a limited and specific action. Actually, the ‘core’ consists of several muscles that run the length of the trunk and torso stabilizing the spine, pelvis and shoulders. When engaged, they provide a stable foundation for both arm and leg functional mobility allowing us to generate powerful movements through our extremities. Core strengthening exercises are an important part of overall fitness training that, except for the occasional sit up or crunch, are often neglected.

The time crunch for Holiday decorating both inside and out is officially on. As you may have hopes and aspirations of early preparations, the fact remains that there is a lot of work to do. Not to mention heavy lifting, repeated overhead reaching and lots of bending.

With so many enjoyable aspects of the change in the season, raking leaves and picking up the yard never seem to be acceptable and enjoyable fall tasks. However, there is more to autumn than apple cider, football games, and clean fresh air. Fall clean-up is a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy the crisp fresh air while getting in a great workout at the same time.

Exercise and promotion of physical activity are extremely important in the self preservation of each and every individual’s health especially as one enters into the ‘elderly’ population.

Poor posture is habitual. If you or your child demonstrates bad posture, it is highly likely that poor habits have manufactured it. We’re typically born with ‘normal’ curves in our spine that naturally place us in “good posture.”

The next several weeks are expected to be some of the most beautiful here in the north country as we transition into the Adirondack autumn season. Accompanying cool nights are crisp mornings giving way to clear days just perfect for a hike on some of the areas finest local trails. Whether you prefer the shorter and quicker day hike, or a weekend long trek there are a few hurdles you must contend with other than rocky trails, extensive root systems or even steep climbs.

Probably the most common complaint among adults at some point in their lives is the complaint of tightness or pain in the neck. While such a condition obviously has many causes, there are a number of modifications or stretches you can do to minimize or eliminate your pain.

You have completed your spring clean up, started the weekly mowing, and if you are luckier than the rest of us, you may have even returned to the bowling lanes, the tennis courts, the golf course or even the gym. You just now realize that the small tenderness, the miniscule but sharp pinch or even the slight weakness you felt while lifting the leaf bags just hasn’t gone away. In fact, it’s worse…much worse and ibuprofen just isn’t touching it. You may have injured your rotator cuff.