This is a really hard question to ask, but…
Are you addicted to Ibuprofen?
If the answer is “yes,” then you are in good company because so many people are.
I have decided to write about it in hopes that this will give people hope that they can find alternative ways to deal with pain and feel better in their mind and body!
I have students that tell me that they have to take Ibuprofen before they work out in order to go through movements without pain.
Read MoreCould “it” be magic? I can’t seem to get this question out of my head. You see, I have a new private student who is an avid golfer. She loves it and seems to be a bit competitive with her fellow golfers.
At our first session, I told her that stretching would improve her golf game.
She looked a me with skepticism, but said “well, if you think so, I hope so, I’ll give it a try.”
She has been stretching with me for 4 weeks now. Yesterday, she casually mentioned to me that she had her best golf game ever the day before.
Read MoreHydration is essential to life!
Think about it…
Every human, every animal, every plant, every tree, every blade of grass needs water to survive. If it doesn’t get enough, it shrivels, dries up, and dies.
What does hydration have to do with stretching, you ask?
Read MoreDid you know…
Our flexibility decreases by 10% every decade!
It does not matter if you are an extreme athlete, a fitness buff, play a sport, walker, runner, biker, swimmer, or if you’re none of these.
Muscle tissue tightens over time just by doing daily life!
One of the most beneficial ways to decrease tight muscle tissue is a form of Stretch Therapy known as Partner Stretching.
Read MoreMany people have the misconception that you have to be flexible to be able to stretch. They think that an Assisted Stretching class means trying to touch your toes or strain your muscles.
This is not true at all.
Assisted Stretching is NOT about trying to touch your toes or straining to stretch.
Read MoreYou don’t need hours of your day to stretch! And I’m going to show you how with this easy 10 minute beginner-level stretch routine.
You can call on any of these stretches throughout the day if you find yourself feeling tight and stiff. You don’t need any special equipment—only yourself and your home.
Read MoreOur 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!
Read More“If you don’t stand up straight… you are going to grow that way.”
This is what my mom used to tell us if she saw us slouching as we were growing up. At the time, we were made aware of our poor posture mostly for its appearance—not its health benefits.
Little did my mom know that poor posture is the cause of many health issues and she was right—you WILL grow that way!
Thank you, mom!
We can’t escape poor posture unless we are aware of it and take steps to correct it.
Here are 5 stretches to help you improve posture.
Read MoreThe truest form of Assisted Stretching is when someone (a partner) helps stretch your body into a deeper range of motion that you cannot do on your own. I call it “partner stretching.”
I first learned this technique in the late 1980s when I was at The Cooper Clinic doing research for my personal training business’ soon-to-be-launched Step Aerobics Program.
When I came home from Cooper Clinic, I started partner stretching my clients at the end of each workout session. I had many of them tell me that they would pay me to skip the workout and go straight to stretching—no joke!
Read MoreI 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.
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!
Read MoreStretching opens up tight muscle tissue and allows pathways for blood and oxygen to flow through our bodies more efficiently.
And oxygen is energy! When we stretch, we bring new life to our bodies. I truly believe it does reduce stress because I have experienced it myself.
When we feel better in our body, we feel better about daily life, our spirit is lifted, and then BAM—stress relief!
Give these 3 easy stress-relief stretches a try!
Read MoreWhat 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.
Read MoreWhen a new student experiences real deep tissue stretches for the first time, they either love it or hate it.
The lovers can’t get enough and usually have an “ah-ha” moment.
The haters usually retreat and are afraid of the discomfort for fear that they will have more pain and not less. If I can coach them to stay with it and continue until that discomfort has eased—and it will!—then I know they have done something very profound and amazing for their body.
They are now on track to reap the life changing benefits of STRETCHING!
Remember: It takes time to get tight—it takes time to get un-tight!
Read MoreI ran into one of my fitness students last week whom I haven’t seen in quite a while.
She had been a big fan of my step class and rarely missed for several years. She told me that she hated not being in class, but her shoulder bothered her while doing arm movements in class so she was giving it a break.
I told her to give a regular stretching routine a try to help her shoulder be “back in action” soon.
Our upper body is just as active as our lower body all day and so those muscles are just as tight.
Are you someone who works in an office leaning into a computer screen all day? Or maybe your career has you traveling by car or plane regularly? You might even love to sit and binge-watch TV shows!
If you answered yes to any (or all) of the above, these stretches are for you!
Read MoreMy family has always stretched each other out almost every night in the floor of our den. Since my boys were little, I would always stretch them out. It was a way of life for us as we all were very active.
It takes time to get “tight”… it also takes time to get “un-tight”!
Elongating overly-contracted muscles is life changing. The benefits are truly transforming lives and some of my students even say they are “addicted.”
Ahhh… music to my ears!
Here are 2 “ah-ha” stretches for you at the wall! These stretches are really great for those of you who spend a lot of time typing on a computer all day.
Read More
