STRETCH & REST CARE for the wellness warrior |
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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
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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
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) I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a REST stop on the Rona Ride. It’s starting to feel like a country song come to life… Dad’s on lock down (at his assisted living). Youngest brother’s on the front lines (ER doc in Virginia that loves infectious disease). I’m on a see saw balancing between two new worlds (the wellness “rest” world from my yoga nidra training and the upside down medical world on the verge of burn out). Ironically, my yoga nidra training started when the pandemic hit our area. I'll be honest my Rona Ride stalled out at the end of April when my body screamed "time out" due to poor sleep from stress and the crazy pace of all the almost daily changes happening in the medical world. I was exhausted mentally and physically. So what did I do? I busted open my rest-care tool box which helped me bounce back energy wise. THE BEST MEDICINE IS REST There has never been a better time to listen to your body and give it what it needs. Right now besides your basic hygiene, social distancing and using the latest CDC safety precautions, I recommend using as much rest, laughter, and nature as medicine as possible. I saw a post where someone mentioned they were making turns onto aisles at the grocery store like they were in a haunted house. I couldn’t help from LOL thinking of that even though it’s also sad. Hopefully we won’t feel like that forever. Find the humor whenever you can right now. It's OK to laugh while you're anxious or sad. It's a #1 coping strategy in the healthcare world. Don’t feel guilty. Focus on what you can control in your immediate environment. Your self-care comes first then everyone else. The wellness rules are the same as before, but we need to ramp up the calming strategies. Remember to take advantage of the health benefits of movement and meditation each day. You don't have to go hard core. A little bit helps a lot. Did you know doing something synchronized like singing with another person is right up there health wise? Our bodies intuitively know this. Think of all the TikTok videos or the clapping each day in NYC and Italy for health care workers. Go ahead and bust out the karaoke or your favorite dance moves a few minutes a day. Sing and shake your body to keep the energy and emotions flowing. I know you’ve got cabin fever. Go for a drive. Go outside and soak up some sun. Get near water or trees. Move your body. But then I still want you to REST, REST, REST. This is a marathon not a sprint. Our bodies heal and get stronger at rest. REST & RELAXATION SELF-CARE TOOLSHere are some free rest and relaxation tools to help calm your body & brain: Download this free 5 minute rest meditation for better sleep. Use it to take a quick break, prep for a nap or to relax your body before sleep. Free Meditation Apps: Calm, Head Space Tapping (EFT) is a combination of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology that sends calming signals to the brain. Here are some free resources: The Tapping Solution free coronavirus stress and anxiety meditations: go here The Tapping Solution has 6 months free membership for health care workers and first responders: learn more here Tapping with Brad Yates on YouTube: Coronavirus Rest is medicine! Mollie P.S. Working from home for the first time? Don’t forget to take mini movement breaks for better focus & less stiff muscles. Download the Mini Moves Planner to help your body feel more energy, ease, and flow each day. Need some immune boosting tips? Here’s the Healthy Traveler Packing List from an oldie but goldie blog post on nutrition and exercise resources to add to your self-care practices. They're good year-round not just for travel. Find COVID-19 self-care basics & resources here.
It’s been a little over a month of the Rona (COVID-19) roller coaster ride in the Austin area. I’ve been experiencing waves of emotions almost like different stages of grief. It has been intense and I’m doing my best to let it flow. The initial panic that turned into what felt like a collective grief has left a lot of us exhausted and others with cabin fever. A reminder of how connected we all are yet we are all in different cars on the Rona Ride. Since we’re all on different tracks of this coronavirus pandemic depending on where you are in the world, here are the initial resources I pulled together for our community back in early March to help manage the anxiety that happens when your routines and plans get flipped upside down. It's a balancing act of staying on top of the latest public health recommendations vs staying calm through daily self-care practices. Unfortunately, communities may be in and out of sheltering in place and social distancing until we get a better way to treat the virus, faster testing and tracing, or a vaccine. Remember when we’re asked to slow things down and not stress the healthcare system all at once, our job is to control what we can. Everything we do is going to help those around us be more safe including using basic hygiene and staying calm as much as possible. Let's get real for a second. We are barely at the beginning of the Rona Ride in the US and the medical community is on the verge of burn out. They've been working non-stop to keep everyone as safe as possible. Everything changes almost daily on how we have to approach things as we learn in real time about this virus. I help coordinate teams of therapists to go safely into a brain injury survivors homes for rehab. My youngest brother is an ER physician on the front lines in VA. He's at the entry point of the medical system and I'm helping patients as they re-enter their home and community. The whole system is upside down right now. Please do your part to support all the essential workers (not just medical ones) by making the COVID-19 basics part of your daily life. For the best outcomes, it'll take a village team effort from all of us. Let's review the basics and some resources to help you make the safest decisions for you and your family. COVID-19 SELF-CARE BASICSHAND WASHING It seems so simple but it’s true, the #1 thing you can do is thorough hand washing for at least 20 seconds throughout the day especially when you’ve been out of your home. Be extra mindful of anything you touch and not touching your face. Avoid shaking hands right now. Don’t wear a lot of jewelry that can attract germs. Pretend you’re a health professional. We never truly know what germs we are being exposed to in a health care environment, so we treat everyone universally the same. It’s our number one defense against all the foreign germs we are exposed to on a regular basis. It works even when we don't have gloves. SELF-CARE PRACTICES Now more than ever is the time to bust out or get in place some immune boosting and stress reducing DAILY practices. Remember your body heals itself and gets stronger at rest and when it’s calm. It’s time to be proactive at turning on your parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest”) to boost your immune system every day. Never been a better time to add some breath work to your daily self-care tool box. I’ve been using The Ha Breath has become one of my personal favorites since this all started. SLEEP HYGIENE At the top of your self-care practices should be getting enough sleep. At least 7 hours a night. If you aren’t waking up well rested, then add in naps during the day. Rest, rest, rest and more rest. It helps your body heal and stay healthy. Download this free 5 minute rest meditation for better sleep. Use it to take a quick break, prep for a nap or to relax your body before sleep. As I watch air pollution going down around the world, it’s hard not to think Mother Earth is telling us to slow down. Actually, she’s yelling at us to do that AND to get more rest. It's time for us to listen. GUT HEALTH Next you can improve your gut health to boost your immune fighting power. Superfoods. Probiotics. Clean Eating. Check out this blog post for more tips and recipes to support your gut health. HEALTHY TRAVELER TIPS Some of us will be able to slowly get back out into our communities soon. Before you do, check out an oldie but goldie blog post we did on being a Healthy Traveler. All the recommendations on the Healthy Traveler Packing List are appropriate for right now to boost your immune system and help decrease stress. You’ll want to add social distancing and wearing a mask when in the community as well. COVID-19 RESOURCES Besides the CDC website, here are some COVID-19 resources that you might find useful: COVID exit strategy- how ready is your state to re-open? Dr. Aviva Romm - An Integrated MD's Commonsense Approach Marie Forleo has pulled together a bunch of resources in one spot Pet Information How to Keep Your Pets Safe Government resources Follow Andy Slavitt on twitter (@ASlavitt) or on his podcast (In The Bubble) Having a hard time finding your fruits and veggies lately? Here are two delivery services to check out: Daily Harvest* Imperfect Foods* Can’t find toilet paper? Try this tree free, 100% bamboo toilet paper delivery service: Reel Paper COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR AUSTIN COVID dashboard Austin Resources in one spot 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. Hand Sanitizer: Banner Distilling Company makes hand sanitizer in addition to their Vodka and Whiskey products. Bored or tired of your own cooking? Our friend’s Austin catering company now has curbside meals for families and alcohol: Pink Avocado Catering FINAL THOUGHTS: I imagine by now that we all know at least one person who has had a battle with the virus and many whose jobs have been impacted. We’re sending love and peace to everyone and a gentle reminder to take it one day at a time. You are strong and will get through this. I truly believe Anything Is Possible. There are glimmers of hope and light, but you’ve got to stay away from the news to catch them. Are you searching for them? We WILL get through this. We’ll do our best with what we know and have access to right now. We’ll keep adapting. Things will look different on the other side of it but just like a diamond under pressure we’ll shine brighter. All is Well! Mollie P.S. Working from home for the first time? Don’t forget to take mini movement breaks for less stress & stiff muscles. Download the Mini Moves Planner to help your body feel more energy, ease, and flow each day. *denotes affiliate link |
Mollie, Ender, Ty & Teddie
Mollie Miller, PT
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