A True Stretching Success Story: From 5 ft. 10 in. to 5 ft. 8 in. to 5 ft. 10 in.
I have a married couple that has been coming to my studio twice a week for private Stretch Therapy sessions for the last 6 months. The wife loves it and cannot wait to get to every session. The husband... not so much. I think he really does like to stretch on the inside, but on the outside, he comes kicking and screaming—but still, he comes.
A little background about the reluctant husband…
He is in his 70s, and he is very fit. In fact, he works out for hours every day. He is extremely tight and has had to modify movements to reduce pain in his body. He wants to stay active.
A few days ago, as we were finishing up a session, out of the blue he asked me if I had a tape measure. I said that I did and asked him why he needed it.
He said that on his doctor visit last year, his height was measured as being 5 ft. 8 in. He was upset because he had been 5 ft. 10 in. his whole life. He wanted me to measure his height again to see if it had changed.
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Longer, Taller, Younger, Smarter, Leaner, Sweeter, Happier, Healthier: The 8 “-er”s of Stretching
I always say to my students at the end of every stretch session that I teach...
You are now… longer, taller, younger, smarter, leaner, sweeter, happier, healthier.
Everyone laughs, but I am telling them the truth!
All of these amazing things happen when you stretch — I call them the 8 “-er”s of Stretch Therapy.
Let me break it down for you.
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Are You Listening to Your Body? The Hard Lesson My Ankle Injury Taught Me
A few weeks ago, I woke up with my left ankle swollen like a grapefruit.
I could barely put weight on it to walk.
What happened? What did I do?
I had to scroll back in my brain to remember what I may have done to cause my injury. I could not recall a specific movement or moment that would have caused it.
Hmm….
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5 Inspiring Stretching Transformation Stories
Recently, I looked back through my notes from all the stretching workshops I have attended and the blog posts I have written.
Something profound really caught my attention: MEN!
All my workshop instructors have been MEN!
Some of the most transformative stretch stories that I have written about in my blog posts were about MEN!
Men with stories like…
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This is How it Goes: The Risks of NOT Stretching
This is how it goes... Muscles tighten as we do daily life and climb in age... When muscles tighten, they shorten… When muscles shorten, they restrict range of motion and cause pain in our joints… When joints become painful, we move less… When we move less, joints stiffen and body functions slow down… When body functions slow down, circulation of blood and oxygen is reduced… When circulation is reduced, other health issues occur… Now we are so tight that we can’t move without pain, so we restrict our mobility even more to avoid it. And then we are set up for even more health issues.
You know what I’m going to say...
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3 Healthy Habits to Complement Your Daily Stretch Routine
Assisted Stretching can help you maintain and reclaim mobility.
But there is more to your health than simply stretching every day.
Here are 3 easy and healthy habits to complement your daily stretch routine.
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The Power of Posture, Part II: 2 Stretches for Your Quads
Our quads are responsible for every step we take. They stand us up and sit us down.
You don’t have to be a big athlete or work out every day or walk 20 miles a week—everyone’s quads tighten over time from our normal daily routines.
When our quads are overly-contracted, the muscle tissue shortens. These shortened muscles pull the hip flexor down which, in turn, tilts the pelvis down in front and up in the back.
This is a posture problem!
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3 Stretches Using A Foam Roller + How Rolling Saved My Life
I thought long and hard before I decided to title this blog post on stretching with a foam roller with the tagline “it saved my life.” I thought about saying “changed” instead of “saved,” but that word didn’t seem powerful enough for the true impact it has had on my life.
You see, the life that I love is extremely active and non-stop all day. I rarely sit down until I dive into bed at night. I would have it no other way.
When I suffered a hip injury four years ago, I could barely move for two months. If you’ve been part of The Power to Pause community for a while, you may know this story.
But maybe this is a part that you haven’t heard…
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5 Easy Stretches for Low-Back Pain Relief
A common issue with most of my students is low back pain.
I can usually tell this is an issue they face—before they even tell me!—by the way they walk and hold themselves.
Some of my students say that they are so used to living with the pain day to day—it almost seems normal to them. But the pain restricts the way they move through daily life.
Here are 5 easy stretches for low-back pain relief!
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Could Assisted Stretching be the Secret Weapon?
I saw a friend recently that I haven’t seen in many months. We both were attending a birthday party for a mutual friend. She has taken classes at my studio in the past.
She shocked us as she told us how much better she feels now that she stretches at home every day.
She put on a display showing us all the stretches she was doing. She encouraged everyone to start stretching and told them that I would show them how!
Whoa, hold the phone!
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Can Assisted Stretching Affect Bone Density? A Personal Account
Okay… I am 61 years old. There it is, right out there.
Make no mistake, I love being 61. I love having birthdays and becoming older. (It is better than the alternative of not having them...)
Eight years ago, I began to look at age very differently after one of my good friends passed away with cancer at the age of 48. Now, every year is a gift.
But as we age, life can present us with certain health issues.
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It Happened to Me: How Injuries Drastically Alter Our Way of Life
My favorite place on earth is a little cottage I rent in Rosemary Beach, FL. I have been going there by myself for writing sessions for years!
During a recent trip, I had to climb 2 sets of stairs to unload my car into the cottage. My car was overloaded with you-name-it, I-brought-it. I made many, many trips up and down those steps with way more in my hands than I probably should be carrying.
On one of my last trips, I felt a little pain in the side of my ankle and foot.
“Oh darn, it will go away by morning, ” I told myself. But NO… it was worse! I could barely put weight on that foot.
Talk about being “stuck”: I was going to be stuck in that cottage for sure. Great for writing, but awful for this active girl.
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5 Easy Stretches, 10 Minutes A Day: That’s All You Need
What if we all just took 10 minutes a day to do 5 easy stretches that could change our lives in a BIG way?
What if Assisted Stretching became an important part of our lifestyle and even helped to increase our life span?
I believe it can!
Let’s invest time back into our bodies with self-care and stretching. We have nothing to lose unless we DON’T!
Here are 5 easy stretches that you can do right in your own kitchen.
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The Research Findings That Will Surprise You: Stretching May Help Fight Tumor Growth
As many of you know, I am on a constant quest to learn all I can about the life-changing benefits of stretching. The research keeps growing and growing in a very positive way.
I received an email from a student last week with a link to an article in The Washington Post discussing the latest research on fascia.
In the article, doctors and researchers discuss how fascia could play a major role in conditions like gastrointestinal disorders and even cancer.
Here are some of those surprising research findings.
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The Overwhelming Thought I Had on a Plane to Los Angeles
As my plane took off this morning, I looked out my window and I could see the beautiful, expanding city of Nashville.
An overwhelming thought came to me...
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How Daily Assisted Stretching Helps You Maintain Independence As You Age
Recently, I had a stretching student tell me the story of her knee surgery that she had about 10 years ago.
She suffered from knee pain, so she went to the doctor who told her that she had a torn meniscus and would need to have surgery to repair it.
She took the doctor’s orders and scheduled a date for surgery.
A few weeks passed before her surgery date and she noticed that her knee pain had already subsided. She thought she may not need surgery after all, but she went ahead with her doctor’s recommendation anyways.
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Our Forgotten Feet: What is Going On Down There?
Did you know?
Our feet are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints and hundreds of muscles, ligaments & tendons—in each foot. These components allow for the complex movements needed for motion and balance.
Whoa… There is a lot going on down there!
It seems that most people forget about taking care of their feet until there is a problem. Maybe it’s because our feet are the furthest body part from our brain!
But if you have experienced foot pain, you know how awful and debilitating it can be. It stays with you and your brain every step you take!
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Yoga is NOT Stretching & Stretching is NOT Yoga!
I have had so many people tell me that they don’t need to stretch because they do yoga.
I usually bite my tongue and say nothing in return, but my brain is saying, “YES YOU DO…YOU NEED TO STRETCH!”
Here’s why…
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