About a month ago I had this conversation with a private client.
She said,
“I just leaned over to pick a pillow off the floor, and bang, my back was tweaked. Weird,
right?”
Not a two weeks later a runner friend of mine chimed in.
“I can run for 10 K no problem,” she complained, “ but I really have to watch how I put my socks on so I don’t tweak my back.”
Bang
indeed. That was it.
I must’ve looked like fish outta water, cause I opened my mouth to say something, and closed it just as quickly. This sort of topic eludes your general 30-second elevator pitch. More explanation was needed.
“Move more” has become our culture’s new mantra and the solution to just about any problem – from weight loss to tweaked back; yet, the key element of wellness – MOVING WELL – is still missing in action {and
from our actions!}.
Let’s put that into perspective.
If you take 10000 steps a
day (the usual recommendation), that’s 70,000 steps a week, and over a quarter of a million steps a month.
Now imagine that you’ve taken every one of these steps with poor technique.
Move more is great. The trouble is that we no longer move how our bodies were intended to
move, and no one has taught us how to move better.
Our bodies were designed to stabilize the spine under normal working conditions, but normal working conditions have changed dramatically since the time of our ancestors {sitting much?}, and our bodies have yet to adapt.
And while the body is designed to move, it is NOT DESIGNED to handle repetitive motion injury due to poor
movement patterns.
So my client didn’t just tweak her back by bending over to pick up that pillow…
She had picked up absolutely everything in her entire life – kids, groceries, you name it – with the same poor technique, in a sub-optimal position, heavily taxing the muscles in her back. She had tweaked her back from years of poor movement. Picking up that pillow was
simply the last straw…
And I, myself, several years ago, stood exactly where my runner-girlfriend is right now: I’ve upped my activity levels (yet again), and ended up seriously hurting myself (yet again)…
That was when I decided that ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH.
Over the following several years I worked on developing symmetrical stability. Navigating this completely unfamiliar terrain felt like going on a dinosaur dig...
So many of these not-so-obvious dysfunctional patterns were buried beneath my familiar movement habits:
Gluts that never ever fired.
Only one working quad.
Asymmetrical abs.
The more I dug, the more I found…
Gluts that never fired didn’t know how to stabilize my pelvis - neither on a log crossing, nor in every step of my walk. They didn’t know how to stabilize my SI joint either, so I’d get low back pain after a long walk (or a long day).
My right quad took over the world – basically. This muscle was my go-to item for anything I need to power through. No muscle - no matter how strong+resilient it is - is designed for this kind of abuse, so it developed a random variety of trigger points that I am still rubbing out with yoga therapy balls
on a daily basis.
It was during those years of re-learning how to move that the truth hit home hard: in order for us to live pain-free – and move, more + better – we must view movement as something that needs
to be taught, practiced, and constantly refined.
CORE RESTORE METHOD was born.
It is neither a silver bullet, nor a band aid.
It
isn't a fast solution either {you didn't get where you are right now in a day..}
CORE RESTORE is a method that approaches mobility and stability systematically, by addressing all the elements that contribute to pain, and limit movement and
performance, including short + tight muscles, soft tissue restrictions, joint capsule restrictions, motor control problems, joint range of motion dysfunction, and neural dynamic issues.
Registrations for the last spring session are open now:
When: May 22 - June 20th, 5 weeks.
Tuesdays, 6 - 7:30 PM: Core Restore Beginner | 146$ + GST
Wednesdays,
6 - 7: 30 PM: Core Restore Advanced* | 174$ + GST
*attending at least one beginner session is prerequisite for advanced class registration
Get yourself Core Restored now, and PLAY all summer long.
That’s my plan, anyway!
