Here is a question to ponder. What does it mean to work with a fully integrated team? Maybe a utopic image of people collaborating and toiling together for a common cause comes to mind. In reality we know teams rarely work this blissfully. Disagreeing factions arise, in-fighting flairs up, and some … [Read more...]
Balance: How to keep it as you age
For many people, it happens slowly over time. You find yourself having to sit down to put your pants on in the morning. Perhaps you notice you’re holding the banister more often while going down the stairs. Maybe you feel a slight dip in your confidence right before you step on an uneven surface. … [Read more...]
Why it took me 26 years to finish the Richmond Marathon
This article is not about running. It is about 26 years’ worth of worrying about pain and how I overcame that very real challenge in order to complete a [26.2-mile] marathon this past November. My relationship with pain began in 1993, when I suffered a lower back injury due to a barn wall falling on … [Read more...]
What My House Taught Me About The Human Body
A little over a year ago, my husband and I decided to update our home with the intention to sell it. We had lived in it for 9 years, and although we knew it needed some exterior work, we continuously put it off for myriad reasons—not enough time, lack of energy/motivation, an added expense we didn’t … [Read more...]
Know Your Core: The Bottom Line
After a recent presentation on low back pain, a few people approached me and asked, “So what core exercises won’t hurt me?” and “Which core exercises should I do?” These are fair questions, so I thought I’d write an article about them. I have nothing against core exercises—even the … [Read more...]
Use These 6 Tips to Stay Active This Fall
Fall is a great time to become more active: the kids are back in school and the air is crisp and inviting. The outdoors beckon, and if you’re not ready, you could suffer a few set-backs as you adjust your activity level. Here are 6 tips to keep you strong and healthy as you enjoy the … [Read more...]
Posture Hack #3 How to Improve “Tech Neck”
We’ve explored posture hacks on “duck feet” (link here) and “Donald Duck” posture (link here). For our final installment on posture hacks, we leave the ducks behind and look at the shoulders and neck. Now days, many careers are spent hunched over a laptop or squinting at a hand-held device which … [Read more...]
Posture Hack #2: How to Improve “Donald Duck” Posture
Last month, we started working on posture from the ground up, with your feet, ankles, and knees. Today, we’re going to continue to move up the body and address common postural problems at the hip and lower back. As I mentioned in my previous article … [Read more...]
Posture Hack #1: How to Improve “Duck Feet”
I’d like to explore some common postural problems and some exercise hacks to improve them. Notice, I said, “improve” and not “fix.” The beauty of your ever-adapting body is that you don’t have to have perfect posture to reduce pain and move better. In fact, attempting to “fix” your posture and … [Read more...]
3 Easy Hacks for a “Wonky” Shoulder
A “wonky” shoulder, AKA a shoulder that doesn’t move right, feel right, or down-right hurts when you move it, can be caused by a myriad of reasons: arthritis, bone spurs (due to arthritis,) rotator cuff injury, an injury to the labrum (or deep cartilage in the shoulder) or an insidious little … [Read more...]