Today's gratitude

I promised myself that I would write 50 blogs in the 50 days til I turn 50. I am 4 days in and have no idea what to write about. I wonder where those amazing blog writers get their ideas. To stay committed to my promise, I'm going to send today out with my gratitude list for today.

Every day I am thankful for my life, my home, food on my table, my work, my cousins, my friends, the ability to travel the world, sleeping late, waking early.

 I am so lucky and grateful to have the family I have. My mom and dad. My sister and brother. My mother in law.  My nieces and nephews. My sister and brother in laws. My step mom and step siblings.

I am so grateful to for this guy, the 27 years we've been together, and the life that we have. Most of all, I'm so very grateful he will return home from his bike trip to Scotland tomorrow. I can't wait to hear all about his adventures...and to start planning when we'll make the trek together :)

Connecting the puzzling dots

People often question why I take a long time getting your history, or why I have you move your neck when you came in for your knee. Listening to your complaints, watching your whole body move, and learning where your compensations are help me connect the dots and help you solve the puzzle.

My philosophy and style of treatment revolves around these beliefs.

1. I am not quiet because I don't know what you're talking about. I am quiet because I am listening to you and processing how to respond in a way that you will hear.
2. I won't tell you that I can fix you. You aren't broken. You only need to remember how to move better.
3. I don't prescribe treatments based on your x-rays/MRI's or other tests. I listen to your history. I watch you move. I work with you to find your best movement. 
4. I don't follow a strict protocol per your medical diagnosis. No 2 people are the same. Individual people need individual movement assessments. One person's back pain may be related to sitting for hours in a car, another because their hamstrings are working over time for their core, and yet another may have an oncological problem that needs more than physical therapy.
5. I don't think any exercise is bad for you. I think there are ways to modify everything. 
6. I think it's important for you to keep moving thru your treatment. That means doing work with your uninvolved side or your upper body/lower body etc. while you are rehabilitating your involved side.
7. I know my strengths. I don't always vocalize them. I'm learning I need to be better at that, yet I also know that I am always listening to you, and make adaptations per your needs.
8. I don't think I can fix everything. If I can't help you, I will refer you to someone to get another opinion.
9. I think pain that is due to a mobility dysfunction occurs because of compensation. Sometimes surgery is needed but until you correct the why behind the compensation you will not relieve the pain.
10. I believe the body is connected from head to toe. You may come in with knee dysfunction, but this may be caused by altered mechanics in your core or even your upper extremity. I love connecting the dots to find the why behind your injury.

Just Because

Everything in my world is reminding me that we need to be authentic in order to live the life we want. So here it is. My attempt at authenticity.

Just because..

I'm quiet, doesn't mean I'm shy.

Just because...

I like to be at the party, doesn't mean I don't like to be alone.

Just because..

I drink alcohol, doesn't mean I don't think healthy eating and exercise aren't important.

Just because..
I preach healthy movement and exercise, doesn't mean I'm perfect in doing it myself.

Just because...

I think before I speak, doesn't mean I am nervous about speaking my mind.

Just because...
I argue my point of view, doesn't mean I won't listen to yours.

Just because..
I like to be in comfy clothes, doesn't mean I don't also enjoy getting glammed up.

Just because...
I'm simple, doesn't mean I'm easy.

Just because ...
I enjoy relaxing, doesn't mean I won't work hard.

Just because...
I like the Red Sox, doesn't mean I don't like the Yankees ;-)

Life lessons from the wife of a cyclist

 On June 3, 2007, I had the honor of volunteering at the Ken Herrod Memorial Road Race in Harvard. I am a member of the Minuteman Road Club, who along with the Harvard Firefighters, hosted the race. It was a beautiful day. I was psyched to see so many females in the race. I am in awe of how fit these athletes are, and how tenacious they are at going after their goals.

MRC Cat 4-5 Women at the start

My husband, Bill, is an avid cyclist. He trains through the winter, when it rains, on the road, in the woods, on a fat bike, road bike, mountain bike....and a dirt bike. If it has 2 wheels he is happy. I don't really consider myself a cyclist although I do enjoy riding and try to get out on my road bike at least weekly when the weather is nice.

Bill, 1st on the podium, Mt Snow.

A few years back we were at a mountain bike 24 hour race. I joined a women's beginner group and the lead rider really helped me to appreciate the joy in riding. This past weekend as I was out on my (very late in the season) first ride, I found myself fully enjoying the process and truly appreciate how the events of the road can translate into everyday life.

The following are my "life lessons" that while observed on my bike, can be carried over into any aspect of health, wellness, and fitness.

Great Sacandaga Lake, Northville, NY

1. Be present. While riding your bike or performing any task, pay attention to what you're doing. Observe the scenery. Listen to the birds. Smell the fresh air. Feel the breeze between the heat. I worked with a woman in my PT practice last week who was doing her exercises. I asked how many reps she had done, expecting 10-12. Her response was "I don't know. I just kept going. I was doing my shopping list, and figuring out my kids schedule while doing the exercise." If we can't focus on the task at hand, how can we be expected to make progress? If we can't take the time to focus on ourselves for just 5 minutes, how can we expect to improve our pain or mobility? Riding my bike teaches me that. I have to pay attention to the cars, the potholes, and especially the nature that is around me. Riding my bike gives me time to actually 'be present' in my life. I frequently stop to take in the beautiful views along the way. It doesn't matter how far or how fast you go, only that you go. Start today. Whatever your goal, take action. Show up and truly enjoy the process. 
2. Breathe. When I struggle to ride up a hill I hold my breath. The same happens when I struggle at work or with my daily life. Taking the time to focus on your breathing can not only save you from passing out, but it will engage your core and give you better stability while making your way through tough times. I cue my patients to breathe through their nose and in for 3 out for 6. I try to Crocodile breathe whenever I am stressed because it helps to quiet my nervous system down. Less stress equals better output on the bike AND my life.

   

   Crocodile breathing: breathe way down to your lower back and let your sides expand

3. Change positions frequently. Sometimes I get tingling in my hands as I'm riding. It's common. It goes away. When I change positions I can decrease it. This is true in every day life as well. We get caught up at our desks, on the computer, in a meeting, or watching TV. If we can do a little movement through the day it will save us some stiffness and pain later. Simply fidgeting your whole body can help dramatically. Cogs-like the cogs of a chain ring- can be done in any position and are a great exercise to restore normal movement. In the video below I demo a way that could easily translate to riding.  I learned to call them Cogs from Gary Ward of Anatomy in Motion and the author of "What the Foot?"which you can find here.  

   

   Quadruped Cogs: easy to do while on the bike

4. Warm up/Cool Down. We do it when we lift. Why don't we do it when we ride? Or even when we wake up? I was 3 minutes into my ride when my hips started to talk to me. Luckily they were just squawking at the new activity and chilled out after 10 minutes.  After I got off the bike I realized how tight everything was. This is a quick and easy active warm up which targets the muscles used during bike riding and will prep you for the ride. They also work as a cool down but the first thing I like to do after a ride is to lie on my stomach, get out of a flexed position and catch my breath...so my go to is the Crocodile breathing shown above.
   

   

   Hip flexor/Hamstring active mobility followed by single leg bridge glue activation.

5. Downshift and up shift. It has taken me 6 years to start to understand how to effectively use my gears. I tend to grind it out and then fatigue at the top too spent to go any further. I was taught in a workshop that I should pay attention to how my legs are feeling vs what the hills look like ahead. On this ride I finally felt it. I didn't look and stress about what gear I was in. I paid attention to how I was feeling and when it was difficult I downshifted. When it was easy I up shifted. Imagine if we did this in our life. Sometimes we're going to have major hill climbs. We can stress about it, struggle and fight our way to get to the top. OR we can allow ourselves to down shift a bit, dig in, keep pedaling and breathing and know that the struggle will only last for a bit. When we come over the top, we can coast for a bit, but if we keep the steady pace we can handle anything that comes up. 

Life can be a struggle at times. Finding an outlet like biking to help you let go of the struggle can do wonders at restoring health and balance. Finding the joy in exercise as well as life and learning to ride those rolling hills makes it so much more enjoyable.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!!

Mom's really are the core of our existence, aren't they?

My mom is one of the strongest, most amazing people I know. Not only was she diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis the year after I was born, but she defied all the doctors and had 2 more children after me. I myself was delivered by emergency C-section. My siblings were both planned C-sections. (In those days once you had one C-section any other births had to be the same way.) When I was 13 she had to have a hysterectomy and had a 4^th incision through that first scar. (We have loads of cancer in our family…thank God she did not and does not and this was just normal procedure for a Peri-menopausal woman in 1980)

Way back when in 1967 the C-Section scars were vertical and cut straight down the middle of the abdominal wall. As you can imagine, this would wreak havoc on the strongest of core musculature.

Mom has only had real trouble walking and standing upright in the last 10 years. She never in my life complained of pain…until recently. In the last month she has been complaining of low back pain. After going through a comprehensive evaluation, we performed manual muscle testing and found her Multifidus and her Gluteus Maximus dysfunctional.  

The Multifidus runs along the back of your body and helps to extend, rotate and side bend your trunk. The Gluteus Maximus extends, laterally rotates and abducts the hip. In order to stand fully erect, your abdominal muscles, your back extensor muscles and your hip muscles all need to be working at their best.

Given her history, and current complain of pain, I wanted to test that C-Section scar. We found one part of the scar working hard for another part. 

I did Myo-fascial Release to the overworking area and then activated the under-working area of the scar. When I retested her Multifidus and Gluteus Maximus they were working just fine, her back pain was less and she was able to stand more upright. She will need to do some ongoing work with some home exercises, but for the moment she was feeling and moving better. 

                                                          

Never underestimate your history of scars and how they can affect your mobility and pain even if the scar occurred a long time ago.

Most of all, if you’re a child of a Mom who had a C-Section, give her some extra love for the strength she has to keep moving and hold you up throughout her life.

Connecting the dots

Pain with movement is what you've got.

Relief from pain and return to the good life is what you sought.

At Move Better PT we work together to connect the dots.

How awesome your movement life is, when you release those knots!

I have had a bunch of clients recently with neck and hip pain. They are usually referred to me for either one or the other, but rarely do they realize that the sites are connected.  When I hear their history I immediately wanted to connect the dots for them.

In the fitness and movement world, we are accustomed to connecting one body part to another. We understand facial chains and gait patterns. It is no surprise to us that the front of one hip may effect the back of the opposite shoulder or neck. For most people I work with, they are surprised how this connection comes about. After we talk about general body movement they usually have a more clear understanding for why they have pain and difficulty with basic mobility.

In the picture below you can visually see how the left shoulder is connected to the right hip.

Do you have multiple sites of pain? Ask your movement professional to connect the dots for you like we do at Move Better. You'll be amazed when you start to un-kink those knots.

Goals

I have been working toward the Strong First Certification (SFG) for a long time. Due to limited shoulder mobility, my progress has been slow. So slow that I actually put the SFG out of my thoughts. This year for the first time in a long time, I decided that I wasn't going to set yearly goals for myself. I was frustrated about my training, and I figured why add the pressure. Turns out, that was a poor decision on my end. Without have direct, objective goals I have completely lost my focus on any training and have felt the difference. My clothes don't fit. I'm sluggish. Even my eating habits have followed suit.

Today I read a good reminder by Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura in their book The Laws of Lifetime Growth Always Make Your Future Bigger Than Your Past. They state that it really doesn't matter whether you achieve the goal, but that we set goals to give us something to grow toward.

After my reading I wrote out some goals to achieve by my birthday. I figure turning 50 is the biggest reason to set some goals after all. I will be able to run 5.0 miles, ride 50 miles, and swim .5 miles. Not all at once. I'm motivated and still realistic. I made my workout happen today even though I was running from job to job. I can make these happen even when I am busy.

The SFG is still my goal. I'll keep plugging away at my skills. Strength training is important to do all that endurance work after all.  I'll keep working on my shoulder mobility. In the process, I will challenge myself and will continue to grow.

If you are struggling with motivation to start moving and hopefully moving better, consider setting some goals. They don't have to be huge. Just something to keep you going forward.