Blog - The Curious Mover
Should I STAY or Should I GO?
To exercise or not to exercise? That is the question!
When will exercise help shift you out of feeling tired or when does your body need the rest? These are great questions to ask, but the answer is, it depends. It helps to develop a skill of listening and asking your body.
I can’t even count the number of times clients come in and tell me how tired they are, only to leave feeling better and revived. That’s the beauty of movement! I make sure in those sessions to give more flow to honor tired, but just the right push to achieve that shift. I always encourage communication with clients about how they are feeling during a session so I can adjust what movement direction I go in next. But when do we go and when do we skip exercise?
Side Plank, Side Bend, Star
I was surprised by how much these simple exercises worked. Why the surprise? I think of strengthening the lateral body by standing upright and lunging to the side as more functional, relating ground force to gravity. But these were on a mat sitting sideways and what do “rising clams” have to do with functionality?
Acts of Awareness
An act of awareness is a gentle reminder to relax tension and find organization in your bones from a repetitive habit. We all have these habits! Your focus in the world is outwards as you get cues and information from the environment. We study and analyze the external environment that we integrate in and react accordingly. For a brief moment in that navigation, try to take a turn inwards and do a quick scan of the body for tension and postural deviations. Meaning, where are you holding tension, and how your body is aligned. During exercise, there is focus on form. For the many other hours a week when we're not exercising, our form in our environment is just as important. It should be pulled forward from the back burner asking questions such as how am I sitting, standing, holding, relaxing, being? Any repetition can become a habit. So imagine sinking into one hip all day long. Turn that into weeks, months, years. And when there is hip pain, no one can help you out of it because although the habit runs deep, it may be undetectable in front of the searching eyes of a practitioner or doctor.
My Accountability Partner
Next week, I have an anniversary! It is the 4 year first-date-a-versary that fateful, auspicious night at the Culver Hotel, where I met my now husband. I am a loyal wife, BUT I have another anniversary I am celebrating: 6 months with my fitness watch. We’ve been inseparable ever since. And my husband seems to be ok with it!
The Feet, Part 2
With the bow and arrow action of the foot and all the movements it takes to achieve that spring, shoes can inhibit the complex movement of the foot. As a child with a family history of bunions, my mom put me in orthotics, which I hated, perhaps instinctively! Genetics do play a major role in how we are put together! While some feet are more inclined towards orthotics for structural support, I think some doctors would rather make the $500 or so dollars in their pockets versus showing one how to effectively strengthen and mobilize the foot.
The Feet, Part 1
Your feet are your foundation. So look at it this way: If you had a crack in the foundation of your home, you would probably do something right quick and in a hurry to fix it. Your home is your investment. But your body is just as valuable as your home. Issues starting at the foot can be responsible for all kinds of aches and pains in the body. The most common, plantar fasciitis, is explored later. Here is the breakdown of what goes on in your foot and you walk...
Body Books for Every BODY
I am delighted to recommend some books to delve into the depths of the body. We like that here at The Curious Mover! There is always so much to learn, with different philosophies and outlooks. These three books I have read offer just that. A scientific approach, a spiritual outlook, and a radical idea. All books pointing to loving the body you have, its miracles, its companionship, perfections, and imperfections.
February Flow in 2,1
You get a new challenge, both physically and mentally, which we want from our exercise “unroutines”. Routines are important, but to “unroutine” is to give your body something it is not expecting, which is why I find exploring different movement patterns crucial as well. This series explores rolling with some twists and turns.
Abs for Every Body
One of my teachers, Pilates Elder Jay Grimes, mentioned how Pilates is based on one mat exercise. Can you guess which one?
Thirst Trap - Are you Hydrating?
Purifying or reverse osmosis systems can clean out the good and the bad. The best source of water is from a clean mountain spring that might trickle through our backyards. Except the fact that we all live in a city and don’t have that, there are many ways to find mineralized water that can truly hydrate you. And yes, not all water is equal.
Listening - Ear to Body
Going inward to listen is an art form in itself.
Push to your edges but respect the boundaries.
The Boss of You-Taking Ownership
Right now, without moving, what are you doing while you are reading this? Are you sitting? How are you sitting? Are you sitting on one hip more than the other? Is your pelvis square to the front or twisted? Are your feet fully touching the ground comfortably? These questions help raise awareness of habitual patterns we may have that might contribute to pain. These questions are helpful to remember in order to start taking ownership. Ownership of your body.
Not Every Exercise is for You
It’s true. Our bodies are all built differently. Yes we have two eyes, ears, arms, legs, and a nose. And a butt, BUT! Not only are men’s bodies very different from women’s, we are also individually put together differently. For example, we all have a hip socket, hip joint, and neck of the femur, but mine is different from yours in size, shape, and location. And we have two, and even they can be different from each other. So having a one size fits all exercise is a tall order.
The Emotional Body Part 2
This is the second in a series about how pain can manifest from the emotional body.