Resources Abounding
Massage and bodywork is great for relieving chronic pain and restructuring issues that have been limiting us, but what matters even more is what we do every day.
Proper effort and alignment in movement and breathing patterns, on top of good nutrition, sleep, and exercise, can be a key to whole-body health.
Basics
We are just the sum of all the loads we’ve ever borne. When we collapse, we are training our bodies to do what we don’t want them to do. We are designed to move all day and to bear loads in our muscles, taking pressure off our joints and enjoying balanced systems of muscle engagement. However, due to modern life, it takes more knowledge and intentional practice than we think.
Proper posture cues:
Inhale - in through the nose, expanding in 3D through ribs and belly, using diaphragm as a tensioner to pull open the thoracic cage
Feet - pull the ground up with your feet, engage your toes like you’re gripping a jar, and then isometrically screw that jar outward, creating a slight external rotation
Knees - pull your kneecaps up with your quads, never locking knees out, keep a microbend in knees
Booty - squeeze your booty at 40-50% effort, don’t collapse
Belly - engage transverse abdominis, wrap your core, pull belly up and in towards spine, especially on the exhale
Shoulders - pinch down with your lats, not using traps or flaring ribs
Deep core/ transverse abominis breathing - This is key to moving well whether lifting, golfing, walking, or even sitting, because it allows us to support ourselves from the inside out rather than collapse.
Dead Bug - for core strength
Bird Dog - core / low back strength
Workout Program Ideas
Workout Program Ideas
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One option for a workout program is the Foundations Training from Dr. Eric Goodman, which is the most anatomically detailed and breath focused strength training that I know of. He is a Canadian PT who developed his work to re-build posterior chain strength, anchoring, and proper breathing for athletes and all of us affected by screens and sitting. Please try his “12 Minutes to End Chronic Pain”, as well as the app on your TV or mobile device for a free trial of what his work can do for your overall health. He uses deep core activation/ transverse abdominis breathing throughout this video and all his work.
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Another option for a 3-5 day/week workout program is the Moves App, which I use and follow as well. An RN and DPT write these programs and it has a Deep Core program (with Dr. Lizzie) as well as Beginners program. They are highly structured, but also highly varied, include accessory muscles that are too often ignored or weak, and give cues for breath and deep core activation with most every exercise.
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A third-option for solid workout instruction is Kettlebell training and Basic Human training with Mark Wildman. Kettlebell work is known particularly for training healthy fascial movement patterns, and Mark looks at functional training in a whole-body perspective, not just looking at the body as parts or through a pin-hole. He addresses issues like standing all the way up and having our core fire standing up, before moving into more complex movements. It’s fun, and hard, and very good stuff.
Mark’s stuff:
3 Best Kettlebell Moves for Women
Dynamic Stretching and Mobility Ideas
One standard for good mobility could be 20 minutes of mobility/ stretching work PER hour of exercise, plus a dedicated day of stretching on your “rest” day from more vigorous workouts.
Best Dynamic Warm-up - thanks to an old cross-fit trainer of mine
10+10 leg swing (flexion/extension)
10+10 leg swing adduction/ abduction
10+10 external/internal hip rotation
15 good mornings pvc
10+10 single leg hinge
15 passthroughs pvc
10+10 around the world pvc
10 lunge windmill
10 scorpion windmill
Stretch + Posture Amalgam - a playlist of videos for stretching and PT type work I’ve accumulated over the years, including some older videos of myself explaining common restorative shapes and glute med activations :)
Barefooot Shoes and Biomechanics
If you dig into the biomechanics of the human body, and how our kinetic chains begin with our feet, you will be beginning a journey to real freedom of movement and freedom from pain. It's a journey, but well worth the effort.
Tom Myers (of Anatomy Trains) on Isolation vs. Integration - a brief commentary from the foremost expert on fascial systems
Katy Bowman - Move your DNA - Biomechanist extraordinaire explains nutritious movement, barefoot life, diastasis recti, and more
Anya's Reviews - Barefoot portal for understanding some important things about foot health, foot measuring and shopping
This is a lot of info, so just stay focused on your “why”, your goals, and enjoy working with exactly where you are at today!
Please let me know how this goes for you and if you have any feedback or questions.
