Welcome to week 2 Friday Round-up.

Here are a few things to contemplate off the mat.

Find a diversion!

What offers an escape from your pain?

Music? Company? Movies? Hobbies? Nature?

This week, write a list of at least 5 different diversion tactics and commit to practicing at least one a day.

Here are some ideas we've used in class:

1. Color imagery ( I really like this one!):

Inhale blue.

Exhale red.

Feel free to replace blue with any color that to you represents relaxation, and replace red with any color that to you represents tension.

Practice for as long as you like of have time for.

2. Mindful awareness - consider this to be a puppy - training for the brain and central nervous system.

Scan your body to find two areas to work with:

~ an area of mild discomfort ( this shouldn't be the biggest discomfort or the largest area of discomfort)

~ an area that hasn't had any discomfort in the last week (tip of the nose works well!)

Practice:

~ observe where your attention goes naturally. Hint: pain is attention - greedy:)

~ mindfully place your attention on the area that hasn't had any discomfort. Can you keep your attention here for 1 breath? 2 breaths? 3 breaths? 3 sets of 3 breaths?

Are you willing to accept this challenge?

As you know, I am a firm believer in overall movement program - to a human body, movement is nutrition.

But if there was just one stretch that I'd do each day, it would be a single-legged calf stretch.

Without getting into too-too much detail into why's and how's, this calf stretch is literally like a super-nutrient-dense food for your musculature.

I have attached tha "WHOLE" Lower Leg Stretching Routine for the keener ones of you; but, if you only have 5 minutes a day to do something  - do this one-legged calf stretch ( possibly while brushing your teeth). - it is # 5 on the attached printout. Your feet, legs, hips and back will love your right back.

Please refer to the rules of safe pacing from week 1 follow up: if you live with persistent pain (and, therefore, hyper-protective nervous system), every day might be a little too much for you to start with.

Are you wiling to accept this challenge?

This is a new addition to weekly follow up - let's test drive this, shall we?

Yesterday, in Corrective Movement class we've got into some interesting glut-strengthening moves, which prompted a Q " I over-engage my gluts, can I still do this?"

I always err on a side of caution, especially in therapeutic class environment. So at the time I said "nope."

Now, having slept on this, here is what I have to say:

Step 1: let's dissect the question - how do you know that you over-engage your gluts? did someone tell you so? or do they feel consistently tight?

Step 2: generally speaking ( and looking) we are a pretty flat- butted nation. Look around you to confirm what I just said, and then turn around and look in the mirror. If your gluts are capable of functional work you have a bubble but, and it doesn't look like your buttocks are trying to migrate south.

BTW, sitting literally laminates (laminate=heat+pressure) your gluts, so they forget what it means to work.

Step 3: release the tension in the gluts and pelvic floor - ball work is marvelous for that. If your gluts are consistently tight, they cannot - CANNOT - generate stability and power the way they are designed to. Counter-intuitive, but true: gluts need to release tension in order to contract efficiently.

Step 4: having built some awareness of the behind's going-ons, and spent some time on loosening the tight bits, attempt those strengthening exercises once again. I bet you, they will feel different now!