Exercise is personal. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily fit another body. I’m a peri-menopausal woman, and I’m not training for anything in particular. Just trying to stay active and mobile. Different ages and stages of life call for different routines. Also, what works for me, you may hate! And vice versa. I’ll never run a…
First off, if you do make an effort to regularly stretch, that’s great. “Every day you don’t stretch, you get tighter.” If stretching is a regular part of your fitness routine, or you want (need?) it to be, this is for you. Because, believe it or not, there is a wrong way to stretch. …
Pain is the worst. It’s distracting and depressing. It gets in the way of your best life – or even just a regular life. I do believe, however, that pain is also our body’s intelligent way of propelling us away from death. We know to pay extra attention to that area, so we don’t cause…
Does acupuncture help nerve pain? Absolutely. It works directly on the nervous system – it’s what it does and how it works. Of course, there are limitations. Treatment success depends on if we can address the underlying cause. Injuries After a traumatic injury, nerves may be crushed or severed. At first, you may end up in an emergency…
I looove yoga, y’all. Yoga without breathing is NOT yoga. It’s just stretching. My own practice evolved over time. That happens when more than 30 years goes by. I started barely able to touch my toes, and suddenly, one day, I discovered I could do the splits! (Side splits, not middle splits – I’m not that…
Can acupuncture help neck and shoulder tension? Is a Smurf’s bottom blue? YES! We’re all doing so many things that make our shoulders and neck hunch forward – driving, texting, scrolling, working, stressing, falling asleep on the sofa, etc. Knowing what to do on your own “in a pinch” is a good idea. For this stretch, find a wall…
Fibromyalgia is a complex illness that’s relatively new. It motsly impacts women, but men can get it too. Symptoms include having multiple areas of intense pain, especially upon even slight touch. This condition usually occurs with other symptoms like insomnia, depression, and extreme fatigue. I’m happy to say that there is hope for people who suffer…
By “shoulders,” I mean your upper trapezius, and sometimes also your levator scapulae and rhomboids. A gymnastics instructor said to me, “what most people don’t realize is that your ‘shoulders’ really extend all the way to the middle/lower part of your back!” Why is this such a common area of pain and tension? Life. So…
Are we really “what we eat”? Things that seem normal for us to eat – hamburgers, pie, french fries, beer, soda, and potato chips – can be related to your hip problem or your neck pain. Contrary to what most MD’s will tell you, arthritis is not an incurable, life-long thing you have to suffer…
For years, the go-to medical treatment for pain was RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Only now people are starting to come around the to idea that ice for pain (especially of the chronic variety) does NOT work. Sure, it may feel good temporarily. But for the long run, if it works so well,…