STRETCH & REST CARE for the wellness warrior |
Hope you're staying cool & enjoying some summer fun so far. Summer is a great time to check in on how we are doing with our green, healthy living habits to support nature and the planet. Here are 5 tips to help you have a green, clean, healthy body & home while you help save the planet. 1. Look for businesses that are Certified B Corporations™: B Corps are for profit businesses that commit to balance both profit and purpose. These brands meet legal standards to consider not only the needs of their customer and employees in their decision making but also the environment and larger global community. 2. Look for the BUNNY LABEL to find brands that don’t do testing on animals. Download the cruelty cutter app to make it easier to shop cruelty free. 3. GROCERY SHOPPING:
4. HOUSEHOLD GOODS:
5. CAMPS WITH A CAUSE: our online bodywork camps will not only help you have a Strong, Calm, Rested Body but every camp sale supports an organization that improves the health & welfare of animals and wild life like the Beagle Freedom Project & Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Learn More. Remember it all adds up. Mini moves & baby steps to have a healthier body and lifestyle. The brands you chose matter for not only you and your home but our planet. Go More Green! Mollie P.S. More scoop on 2 of my favorite Animal Rescue & Rehab organizations that we support with every online camp sale. Beagle Freedom Project is a non-profit animal rescue and advocacy organization and the world’s leading organization for rescuing and rehoming animals used in experimental research. Since 2010 the charity has been freeing survivors from laboratory experiments, senior and special needs animals from shelters, and victims of horrific abuse from around the world. FYI Beagles are the most tested on dogs, particularly in the cosmetic and beauty industry, due to their gentle nature. Remember look for the bunny label or use the cruelty cutter app to shop. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues & rehabs orphaned elephants, rhino’s & wildlife in Kenya to return them healthy to the wild as well as securing habitats for future generations, providing fresh water relief, vet rescue units and my favorite- their canine project using dogs to sniff out wildlife crime. *denotes affiliate link
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Exciting news! Mini Massage Camp™ is ready to roll. You'll find details below. But first, let's talk about pain down there. This is Part 3 of the Pelvic Floor Series to help you have a strong, healthy pelvic floor for better core workouts, posture and performance. We've addressed how to do a proper Kegel exercise (part 1) and how to trouble shoot the more common mistakes of the Kegel (part 2). Now let's talk about what you can do to address pain or injuries to the pelvic floor muscles. Pain anywhere in your body can turn off the muscle that is inflamed or hurting. Your pelvic floor muscles can be injured just like any muscle resulting in painful scars and trigger points, weakness, or soft tissue restrictions. Damage to these muscles can occur due to:
Injuries to the pelvic floor muscles can lead to pain or decreased sensation with sex, incontinence (leaking of urine or bowel), or organ prolapse (bladder, uterus or rectum drops lower). Fortunately there are treatment options to help rehab the pelvic floor after injury:
All of these rehab techniques can be done externally (in the pelvic, lower abdominal and back region) or internally (through the vagina or anus). Let’s break this down more. External Pelvic Floor Rehab addresses pain from an outside approach. A Physical Therapist, especially one experienced with manual therapy and Pilates Rehab, will have the skills to provide exercise and treatment to stretch, strengthen, and release adhesions in the muscles around the hips, pelvis, and core. Pilates Rehab with pelvic floor retraining is how I healed from a back injury that almost caused me to retire from PT in my 20's. I still use the exercises along with fascial bodywork tools to help my pelvic floor and core stay healthy and pain-free. These are the techniques I have taught my clients for years, many who had pelvic floor dysfunction or back pain, and now teach in my online camps. Internal Pelvic Floor Rehab addresses pain from an inside approach. These specialists are certified to work internally on the pelvic floor muscles to stretch, strengthen and relax muscles in the lower pelvis. They're usually Physical Therapists or Nurse Practitioners with advanced training in this area. They can do manual therapy internally to release restrictions, biofeedback training to help strengthen, guide vaginal weight training for prolapse (i.e. vaginal pessary training), and design an exercise program to address your specific needs. If you've had an injury to your pelvic floor muscles that has resulted in pain, scarring or incontinence (leaking of urine or bowel), reach out to your OB/GYN, Urologist, or Midwife for a referral to a Pelvic Floor Specialist in your area. Internal pelvic floor rehab is a treatment to consider for decreased sensation or pain during sex as well. If you experience painful orgasms (dysorgasmia), this Mind Body Green article has 17 treatment and tips that you might find helpful. If these more conservative approaches listed here don't help, there are medications and surgical options available. In addition, acupuncture or lifestyle changes for weight loss may be beneficial. These issues can be debilitating but are treatable. Don’t give up. Keep searching for someone to help you with your issue. It's never too late! Mollie P.S. Ready to have more freedom & flow in less than 10 minutes a day? You’ll want to check out Mini Massage Camp™! Learn more. It's time for more Kegel talk. A simple movement that can turn complicated quickly. In Part 2 of this series, we’ll be troubleshooting some of the more common Kegel mistakes to help you have a strong, healthy pelvic floor for better core workouts, posture, and performance. Quick review: One of the most neglected areas of the body and least talked about until you’ve got an issue down there, is how to have a healthy pelvic floor (PF). The pelvic floor muscles are important for all ages but can need more attention as you age. They form the base of your core and support all your organs. The Kegel exercise is the basic way to strengthen them. We reviewed how to do a proper Kegel in this blog post. Here’s the challenge of the Kegel... A proper Kegel is done when you can contract the PF without the rest of your body tensing up. Easier said than done, especially when you start moving your body while you Kegel. Let’s do some troubleshooting on how to avoid the more common mistakes when you Kegel. Do a check in while you Kegel. Are you?
Here are some tips to prep for the Kegel and take the tension out of your body:
OTHER AREAS TO ADDRESS FOR A HEALTHY PELVIC FLOOR A few other issues you’ll want to pay attention to as you improve the overall health of your Pelvic Floor Muscles: Pelvic Floor & Constipation Constipation and doing the Valsalva maneuver (holding breath and bearing down when lifting or pooping) can over stretch the PF muscles. Improving the health of your gut can take pressure off your PF muscles that have the job of holding up your organs. Do you have any GI issues? 1 in 4 Americans do. You could have up to 15 # of mucus from inflammation in your gut. Signs are painful joints, bulging belly, bloating. All that puts load on your PF muscles. You can decrease inflammation through clean eating with lots of green veggies, eliminating foods that irritate (dairy, refined sugar, gluten), staying well hydrated, doing a quarterly detox/cleanse, taking probiotics and exercising regularly. You might also want to check out The Squatty Potty™, a toilet stool that puts your body in the best posture for pooping to take pressure off your PF. Pelvic Floor & Hormones If you identify as female and still bleed monthly, you might notice that it’s easier to do Kegels during the middle of your cycle and more difficult at the beginning of it due to hormone changes. Just keep at it but be mindful of your cycle and plan your more intense workouts toward the middle of it when your pelvic floor muscles might be at their best. Pelvic Floor & Fatigue The pelvic floor muscles can fluctuate in endurance just like any muscle. Sometimes you can turn them on but not keep them on because of fatigue. Or you may notice you can turn them on with bladder empty but not with weight of full bladder (or when constipated). The weight of your organs may challenge the PF when tired. That’s OK – you just need to build your strength and endurance like you would any other muscle. For strengthening, use the weight of gravity to challenge your PF. Example: going from laying down to sitting to standing to moving your body as you Kegel. Each position has to deal with more and more gravity. For endurance, add reps throughout the day to challenge your PF. Once you can do a proper Kegel in sitting, you can practice anytime throughout the day to build endurance- while driving, watching TV, standing in line. The more complicated the activity you are doing, the more challenging it will be to hold the Kegel and breathe. The more mindful you can be of your form while holding your Kegel, will help guide you on when to challenge yourself with more gravity or moving your body. When you can’t hold the Kegel without tensing up in a position, you may have pushed too fast or done too many reps in that position. Listen to your body. It’ll guide you. You'll know when you need a rest break or it's time to slow down. You've got this! Mollie Can you believe there's only 5 days left in this wild ride of a year? Man, what a ride its been. Hoping you’ve been able to renew & refresh some before we ring in 2021. Even though 2020 has been challenging, it’s important to take a moment and reflect before you move into the new year. Here are 3 simple ways to prep for 2021:
Need help narrowing it down? Here’s the Mindful Athlete Goal Setting Worksheet to help you pick out your first fitness or wellness goal for 2021. We know 2021 is going to be a BIG year of healing for all of us. We look forward to sharing more about the healing power of rest & bodywork practices to help your body do its magic... to heal itself and get stronger so you feel, move, and perform better. Wishing you more health, happiness, & healing in the new year! Mollie & Ender P.S. Ho. Ho. Ho. It’s time to Roll. Our favorite foam roller is 30% off this month. It’s like having a PT, Chiro, Massage Therapist in one and the closest we can get to sending our hands home with you. You can find it here*. In our online program, HIP Camp™, we show you how to use the foam roller & more to help you reshape your body for better energy, mobility and posture. Learn more here. *denotes affiliate link It’s about that time of year. The time when we get lots of questions about how to get rid of neck pain. Maybe it’s all the online shopping? Here is what we recommend to let the healing begin. As always, anytime you have pain you want to calm things down. First step is to decrease the inflammation. Next CHECK IN on these 3 areas: Hip Check In- stiff muscles or tightness causing pain in your neck can be a sign that you’ve got some underlying weakness in your core and postural muscles. Why check your hips when you’ve got neck pain? All movement begins at the hips which are the base of your core. Your hips don’t lie. Imbalances in strength and mobility of your hips will cause issues all throughout the body. Wait what? Yes it's true and because everything’s connected to everything through your fascia (connective tissue). If your hips are tight and pelvic floor muscles are weak, then your neck may be working overtime to hold you up against gravity. Posture Check In- it’s important to check that you aren’t straining your neck with your positioning in bed and wherever you sit for long periods (i.e. office chair, sofa, car seat). Bed Tips: How many pillows do you sleep with? You want to find just the right amount of support particularly in your neck area so that you aren’t too flexed or too flat. You’ll need to take into consideration if you sleep on your back, side or belly. They make pillows for all types of sleepers now. Find one that fits you just right. If your neck is flared up, you might need some extra support in the curve of your neck just below the base of your skull. You can roll up a towel and place it in the bottom of your pillowcase for some extra support. If you’re a belly sleeper, a good goal would be to try and become a side sleeper. You could even get a body pillow and sleep halfway between your side and belly sleeping for less stress on your neck. Chair Tips: ideally you want to sit in a position with good low back support that encourages you to sit with your shoulders over your hips and head in line with your spine. Try to have your elbows supported to take tension out of your shoulders and put any screen at eye level to avoid slumping over and flexing your neck too much. Standing desks work for some folks also to break up their sitting time. It’s impossible to have perfect posture all day long but you can become more mindful of how you sit and take frequent movement breaks to reset your posture and help your tissue stay hydrated throughout the day. Stress Check In- most of us are aware that when we are stressed, we hold tension in our necks. Taking simple relaxation breaks from 3 reps to 3 minutes throughout the day will help you calm your nervous system and help you feel more ease each day. Now that you’ve checked in, which of these areas needs some attention? Keep that in mind as you work on the next step: moving without pain. NECK BASIC MOBILITY WORK Here are a few gentle movements to help relieve neck tension or pain. Relaxing your face- There are 2 simple moves that can help you relax your face and put less tension on your neck. Smiling and putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth while you breathe. I know it seems too simple but try it while you are working on the computer or working out to see if it helps keep tension out of your neck. Relaxing your shoulders- Good form is important not only in sitting but when you are lifting weights or doing arm movements during Pilates or Yoga exercises. Check in and make sure your shoulders are not pulled up toward your ears (elevated) when you are sitting, cooking, driving, working out, talking on the phone. Instead keep your shoulder blades pulled down toward your hips and think arm pits to hips as you move and go through your day. Chin Tuck Exercise- Sit up tall, shoulders over hips, arm pits to hips and gently move your chin back toward your spine like you’re making a double chin. Think about lengthening the back of your neck. Repeat 10 times as long as this doesn’t increase your pain. Rule of thumb: if a movement makes your pain worse, don’t do it or modify it. Nose Circles Exercise- Sit up tall with good posture and move your nose in a circle like you are drawing a circle the size of an orange. Repeat 5-10 times then reverse directions and repeat circles 5-10 more times. Modifications: If you’re super flared-up, you might want to do the Chin Tucks and Nose Circles laying on your back with a supportive pillow or towel roll. Bend your knees with feet flat on floor to take even more tension off your spine. You can do these several times a day especially at the end of your day. When someone has a recent injury, you typically have them do 10 reps every hour to help calm the area and get out of the pain cycle. Remember we want to calm the body when it’s in pain. As things calm down and you’re able to move better without pain, the next step is to turn on your postural muscles with stability exercises. POSTURE WORK FOR NECK PAIN Even though you are dealing with a neck issue, you want to start with stability exercises aimed at strengthening your hips and pelvic floor muscles to help improve your posture and take tension off your neck. You can literally reshape your body with a few minutes of daily fascial body work. We show you how to improve the mobility and stability of your hips and spine using fascial stretching, massage and stability work in our online program, HIP Camp™: Stretch & Rest Care Tools To Reshape Your Body. Learn more here. WHEN TO SEEK HELP WITH PAIN If you have sharp or constant pain or start to lose sensation or control of any muscles, it’s time to call your doctor. Seek medical help immediately when you have an acute (new) injury. If you’ve been diagnosed with a herniated disc or have numbness/tingling into your arm, you will need a health care professional to guide you with your recovery. You’ll want to find someone that has strong manual therapy skills and training with myofascial tools like cupping, kinesiotaping or dry needling. You may benefit from traction techniques also. Your provider should also give you a home exercise program to do between sessions. Don’t forget you are still fragile as you are healing. Go slow as you get back to normal activities even when you start to feel better or have less pain. Heal Well! Mollie P.S. Ho. Ho. Ho. It’s time to Roll. Our favorite foam roller is 30% off this month. It’s like having a PT, Chiro, Massage Therapist in one and the closest we can get to sending our hands home with you. You can find it here*. In our online program, HIP Camp™, we show you how to use the foam roller & more to help you reshape your body for better energy, mobility and posture. Learn more here. For more stress management tips, download this Daily Planner to help you add 1-3 minute rest & relaxation breaks into your day. DIY Self Care Book Resource for Neck Pain: McKenzie Method- Treat Your Own Neck. Available in English and Spanish. You can find it on Amazon or here. For more for tips on having good form during workouts, refer to this Fit Blog. For suggestions on how to build your rehab team, refer to this Fit Blog. *denotes affiliate link 2020 has been INTENSE for all of us. We've all got a battle or two (or more) going on right now in our lives. Even dentists are reporting increased numbers of cracked teeth and dental emergencies since the Spring. Apparently, it's from all the jaw clenching and teeth grinding from stress. Good news, I've got a go to breathing exercise for anxiety and stress... THE COOLING BREATH It’ll not only help you process strong emotions like The Ha Breath does, but help you calm and relax your nervous system. It’s the perfect time to add it to your breath work toolbox. OK let's test it out. Check in to see if you are feeling any anxiety or stress. Rate it on a scale of 1 (none) to 10 (I’m freaking out). Next do 5 reps of The Cooling Breath. HOW TO DO THE COOLING BREATH
After 5 reps of The Cooling Breath, check back in and rate your anxiety or stress on a scale of 1 to 10. Did it go down? Do you want to do a few more reps? Listen to your body. What does it need? You can use The Cooling Breath during the day, in the car, before bed. Anytime you feel anxiety rising. Make sure to teach it to your kiddos. They'll love it. You can describe it like blowing bubbles if that helps them catch on to it. We are sending tons of love to anyone fighting or recovering from the virus, the fires, or the hurricanes. Please take care of yourself during these challenging times. Stay Safe! Mollie P.S. Craving better sleep? Download this 5 minute rest meditation to take a quick time out, prep for a nap or to relax your body before sleep (it includes The Cooling Breath). Download this daily planner to help you add more 1-3 minute rest & relaxation breaks into your day. Would you agree that time is our most precious resource? One thing that can rob you of time is being in pain. You only have so much energy (i.e. brain power) in a day and painful joints or muscle soreness takes up brain space. If you’re in pain and not able to move well, what are you missing out on in life? Is it time with loved ones, your favorite sport or hobby, planning your dream trip? What’s pain costing you? At work? At home? It's never too late to learn simple strategies to help you get out of pain and calm things down. So, let’s do an inflammation checkup. Are you in pain? Does your body feel, sore, tight, or stiff? Inflammation and soreness are signs of over-training or over-use. Healthy tissue doesn’t hurt. It’s not tender to touch. It doesn’t hurt when you move. Pain is telling you something is not right. It’s a protective mechanism. It’s locking up to guard. Your body is like “Hey, over here. Pay attention to me. You better stop that. I need a break NOW!” It’s talking to you all day. We get hunger signals. Thirst signals. Fatigue signals. All of them are like the warning lights on your car. Alerts before you break down. Most of us wait until our body is screaming at us all day or we can’t move before we pay attention. The good news is you can learn to calm it down if you missed the warning signals. 6 Strategies To Calm Down Inflammation
THE MORE YOU:
The more you'll benefit from supporting your body with daily practices to decrease inflammation. Which one are you going to test out first? It's never too late to feel, move, and perform better! Here's to taking it one day or one step at a time. Happy Healing! Mollie
Have you made any fun (or crazy) purchases during the pandemic? I’m having fun with the mini tramp I got back in April when my allergies and left foot plantar fasciitis flared up. I think a lot of people had the same idea because it wasn’t easy to find one in stock when I ordered it online. It’s been great to spice up my workouts and beat the heat this summer, but also for my daily lymph care. Your lymphatic system is part of your circulatory and immune system. It helps your body flush out waste and toxins. Here are some simple and gentle ways to support your lymph system that'll also help boost your immune system. 4 TIPS FOR YOUR DAILY LYMPH CARE
Start with one of these tips and keep adding on as you listen to how your body feels. Your lymph system is always working hard for you. These tips will help make its job so much easier. They also help me feel less bloated. It's a win win. Shake it out! Mollie
If you’re feeling the anxiety creeping back up as the Rona wildfire spreads across the southern part of the U.S., here's a self-care practice that should help. We had our dress rehearsal in April for this scenario. Cue the jazz hands, it’s SHOW TIME! Remember… We know what to do to slow the spread: WASH (your hands), WATCH (your distance), WEAR (your mask). We know outside (with social distancing) is safer than indoors. It’s the perfect time to start a GROUNDING PRACTICE. And it’s super simple. How To Start A Grounding Practice Grounding 101: Lie on the ground outside for 5-10 minutes. You don’t have to do anything but let Mother Earth do her thing. Spice it up: you can visualize growing roots from your body down into the earth as you breathe. Inhale all the healing energy of nature, then exhale anything you want to release from your mind or body through those roots down deep into the earth. Benefits Of A Grounding Practice A Grounding Practice can help you:
Other options when you can’t get safely on the ground and start to spiral with anxiety or fear:
Self Care Resources Here are links to all the blogs for resources I’ve pulled together so far during the pandemic: Self-care basics during COVID-19 Rest Resources Immune Boosting Breath Work Pet Care: the latest CDC update is that humans can pass coronavirus to their pets (no evidence of them giving it to humans). Keep your pets away from anyone outside your household and anyone who has tested positive or is in quarantine. If you don’t know Andy Slavitt, I recommend you follow him on twitter (@ASlavitt) or on his podcast (In The Bubble) for real time COVID-19 updates as hot spots develop around the country. Stay Safe & Strong! Mollie P.S. Want better sleep? Download this 5 minute rest meditation to take a quick time out, prep for a nap or to relax your body before sleep It’s getting W-E-I-R-D in here. How are you doing now that we’re at the mask stage of the Rona Ride? I’m used to them in the medical world, but it still feels strange to wear them in public. This whole experience is pretty disorienting. Isn’t it? As we add covering up with the mask to social distancing, keep in mind you can still connect with others using your eyes and body language. Some of my stroke patients that I learned the most and felt closest too didn’t speak a word the entire time I worked with them because of their aphasia. We used body language and eye contact to connect and understand each other. When you’re wearing a mask in public, you can still crack jokes and use eye contact to connect with people especially those with essential service jobs. The stress and fatigue are on the rise in the front lines. Smile with your eyes. They’re still the window to your soul. Send them some love. TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK I know there’s confusion and mixed messages out there on masks, even when some communities require them. Part of the journey of this pandemic is we have to adapt as we learn more information. Current research shows masks help decrease risk for all by at least 50% (3 ply surgical masks are better than home made). Wearing a mask is another tool to protect ourselves and the most vulnerable in our community from the virus. Mask Care 101: Make sure you cover both your mouth and nose with it. And once it’s on don’t touch it with your hands. If you do touch it, wash your hands. Take it off by the ear loops and throw it away. Yes the Rona Ride is getting repetitive but it’s simple: Wash (your hands), Watch (your distance), and Wear (your mask). BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM Before you mask up, do the dog breath (in your house or car). It’s another exercise to add to your breath work toolbox that’ll help boost your immune system. DOG BREATH:
Peace & Love, Mollie P.S. Helpful Resources: Download this daily planner to help you add 1-3 minute rest & relaxation breaks into your day. Additional Rest Resources Self-care basics during COVID-19 Surgical Masks: Austin Emergency Supply Foundation provides free masks to small business and those in need. You can buy masks for just yourself or for you + help others get them too. Best Mask For Glasses (anti-fog) |
Mollie Miller, PT
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Core Power Health & Fitness, Inc. does not provide medical advice. Consult a licensed physician prior to beginning any exercise or nutrition program.
Copyright © 2015 Core Power Health & Fitness Inc.
Core Power Health & Fitness, Inc. does not provide medical advice. Consult a licensed physician prior to beginning any exercise or nutrition program.
Copyright © 2015 Core Power Health & Fitness Inc.