Mr. Jackson Sayers, Kinesiologist, Vancouver, BC

Bill is a 37-year-old ad executive who travels a lot on planes. He has little time to exercise except on weekends and sometimes when the hotel has a gym. Bill has been complaining about a sore lower back and tail bone for about 6 weeks. Bill was referred by his family doctor to a Kinesiologist or a personal trainer to strengthen his lower back muscles, gluteal muscles and loosen his quadriceps. The doctor also noticed that his hamstrings appeared very tight and were likely very weak due to all of the sitting.

Bill did see a kinesiologist who helped him work on strengthening his hamstrings and low back muscles. He also recommended that Bill see a physiotherapist or a chiropractor to check joint mobility and a massage therapist to help loosen his psoas and hip flexors. Yoga was also recommended in order to help Bill get into a regular stretching routine. If the pain did not diminish after approximately 3 months it was recommended he get an MRI on his spine to ensure there were no other abnormalities.

Mary is a 42 year old lawyer. She was referred by her family physician to an exercise program after she expressed a need to get her growing weight issues under control. Mary is 5 foot 2 inches and 150 lbs which indicates a BMI of 27.4, and is considered very overweight. A female of this height should aim to be between 110 - 120 lbs to have a BMI within 'normal' limits.

Mary has had an ongoing battle with weight and now that she is sitting 10-12 hours a day it is becoming even greater. She is worried about heart issues due to her weight gain and general lack of fitness. She complains of how little time she has to exercise and also finds it hard to eat well, eating out or grabbing quick meals that often involve fast food.

The personal trainer recommends to Mary that she start an exercise program immediately so that it can't be put off any longer. Mary is also referred to a nutritionist for education on food choices and to give her some ideas on healthy alternatives. It is also recommended that Mary get a bike for weekends and can get it adjusted properly by a qualified bike fitter if necessary.

Mary can also be referred to a cardiologist to have any heart issues or concerns checked out. She can also consider doing yoga or pilates on weekends to reduce stress levels, improve her strength and help with her with weight loss.

John is a 53-year-old business man complaining about a sore lower back. John is approximately 40 pounds overweight and sits for 8-10 hours a day. He exercises infrequently even though he knows he should do more. John smokes 10-20 cigarettes a day and eats irregularly, however, when he does eat he tends to overeat. John claims to sleep about 5-6 hours a night which he feels is not enough and complains of feeling tired a lot.

Upon examination by his physician, it is apparent his hip flexors are extremely tight, his rotation in his trunk is almost non-existent and his hamstrings are extremely weak due to sitting too much. John is referred by his family physician to a fitness program, with either a physiotherapist or a chiropractor for his lower back issues which includes a stretching program. John could benefit from going to yoga not only to improve his flexibility and back issues, but to improve his sleeping patterns. His family physician also feels John could benefit from seeing a nutritionist to learn more about healthy eating. Lastly, John has agreed to see a specialist about his smoking in hopes that he can soon quit.