What Makes a Master?
Years ago, a Pilates teacher that many consider a Master Teacher told me that you really can’t call yourself a teacher* until you’ve taught for ten years. I had about seven to go at that time. I’ve...
View ArticleFast Food Medicine
Fast food has two variables: convenience and affordability. In other words: it’s fast and cheap! If you are well-to-do, you can get food that is fast but not cheap; you can eat at a good restaurant or...
View ArticleHappy New Year!
As we begin another year, we reflect on the one that passed, and resolve to make changes for a better and healthier year to come. I had an excellent year professionally, with a dream realized when I...
View ArticleVive la Calf Stretch!
FIRST EXERCISE OF 2017 IS THE CALF STRETCH! You thought I’d start at the foot didn’t you? Well the calf muscles ARE part of the feet – many of the calf muscles are what is called EXTRINSIC muscles...
View ArticleAnatomy of a Calf Stretch
Since my last blog post was about the Calf Stretch, I thought I’d share a little more information about this area of your body and some health issues that can affect you here. The posterior (back) calf...
View ArticleLifestyle Tips for Lower Leg Health
Sticking with the Lower Leg theme – the calf and soleus – what are some other ways you can add support to a part of your body that is now moving more and moving better? If you’ve been doing the Calf...
View ArticleFoot Mobility – Top of Foot Stretch
Yesterday I taught another full workshop on Functional Feet. I’ve lost count of how many foot workshops I have taught since 2012 when I got my “Healthy Foot Practitioner” designation (which is no...
View ArticleAnatomy of the Top of Foot Stretch
The Top of Foot Stretch lengthens the front of the shin and ankle, and shortens the plantar surface muscles (you may experience cramping), it also lengthens the tendons that extend, or lifts, the toes....
View ArticleLifestyle Tips to Support Foot Health
Functional feet are my fondest favourites! For fancy footwork and for fleet feet, follow these four fun facts: Move your toes Walk over non-level ground Go barefoot or transition to a more minimal shoe...
View ArticleLegs-on-the-Wall for Pelvic Floor/Adductor Stretch
Since it’s Spring, and the birds and bees are starting to do their thing, I thought I’d turn our attention from the foot and lower leg to the pelvic floor. Everyone needs a strong, supple, functioning...
View ArticleShoe Review: Xeroshoes Lena
I interrupt my regular blog programming for a special shoe review: The Xeroshoes Lena I was given this shoe to review with the understanding that I would put it through its paces (which I have) and...
View ArticleAnatomy of the Inner Thigh Stretch
The Adductors are a group of inner thigh muscles. They are called that because their most obvious job is to adduct (pull in towards the midline) the leg. Like most basic anatomy, that is simplistic....
View ArticleLifestyle Tips to Optimize Inner Thigh/Knee/Pelvic Health
You’ve been doing the V Sit/Legs on the Wall for a few weeks now. How do your knees and hips feel? Awesome right?! So how can you optimize these great effects and continue reaping the benefits of this...
View ArticleAbdominal Twisting – test your ab strength!
Let’s recap! So far this year, following along on this blog, you’ve done: Calf Stretch Soleus Stretch Top of Foot Stretch Legs on the Wall, V-Sit you’ve climbed hills possibly started transitioning to...
View ArticleAnatomy of a Twist
The core is a big area that encompasses a lot of musculature, fascia, the spine and spinal cord, pelvis, ribs, breathing apparatus, organs of digestion, organs of reproduction, and circulatory vessels....
View ArticleLifestyle Tips for Twisting
My partner and I share a car. We park in a garage off a narrow lane and that requires backing up the lane and then turning the car, while backing up, and pulling a 90 degree turn into the garage...
View ArticleBalance and Proprioception
What is balance? What is proprioception? Are they related? Let’s start with standard definitions. From Wikipedia: Proprioception, from Latin proprius, meaning “one’s own”, “individual”, and capio,...
View ArticleBalance for Walking
Balance is sometimes defined as “standing still” – i.e., can you balance on one foot? But can you balance walking? How can you tell if you can balance while walking? You are currently walking without...
View ArticleFeet and Walking
In my last post (link) I mentioned that walking is a category, and that what most people envision when asked to imagine a person walking, is a person walking on a flat, level surface, perhaps a...
View ArticleIs Your Rotator Cuff in an Abusive Relationship?
If I said “point to your shoulder” you’d probably point to the top of your arm and you’d be correct, that is what is typically thought of as the shoulder joint. Technically this is called the...
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