When our society discusses the idea of “youthfulness” it focuses on wrinkle-free skin or “being able to eat anything I want without gaining weight.” Something that gets overlooked (and something we truly have a lot of control over) is youthful movement. What does that look like? Well, I’ve boiled it down to two things: it’s “capable” coupled with “ease.” Youthful movement equates to a big comfort zone. Can you sit on the floor and play with puppies? Can you run...
It always goes back to empowered wellness. Movement – which I think is a life-changing component – is still just one component. There are a myriad of components, big and small, obvious and not-so-obvious, from getting proper sunlight, to having solid relationships, to making sure nutrition levels are strong. So many things can contribute to a healthy life – the list really does go on and on. Since 2020, I’ve become a bit of a “plant lady” and...
I was recalling to my son how high school spring tennis was like for me, way back in the late eighties in New York State. First off, my teammates and I played with so many layers on. We could hardly move. Second, we often shoveled off the courts. Snow in March and April was/is very normal. Third, while other sports like baseball and softball had use of the indoor gymnasiums, my little team and I...
If you take note of how you typically move during an average day, not including your workout, you’ll find it to be mostly done in the sagittal plane. Walking is in the sagittal plane. Sitting down and up from a chair is in the sagittal plane. The action of riding a bike is in the sagittal plane. The spine does tend to engage in more movement variety, like twisting (transverse plane) and side bending (frontal...
It was a very cold Saturday morning and I rushed off to teach my 9am class. I arrived early enough to set up the classroom and (luckily) still had about 10minutes to spare, so I went ahead and sat in this particular studio’s sauna (they actually have two!). Barefoot and wearing my yoga clothes, I luxuriated in the warmth. My fingers and toes thawed out, my cheeks got rosy and my shoulders softened. I then went on to have a great class....
There are 33 individual interlocking bones that form your spinal column. The top 24 bones are moveable, while the lower vertebrae (in the sacrum and coccyx region) are fused together and therefore don’t articulate. This is so “yin and yang” – stable and set at the trunk, free and flowing at the crown. Did you know the spine, your spine, is a genius, sophisticated design? What a stroke of luck it is to have one! Here are 10 ways...
There’s a term I heard recently that really resonated – air bathing. It’s like sun bathing but with air instead. I am, for sure, a bona fide air bather. I love love love being in an environment, ideally amongst the trees, far away from highways and other pollutants, just breathing it all in. Basically, I love air. Here’s why you should too: Breathing is fuel. Because of breathing, you and I are able to move, talk, be, and...
When people come up to me before class to quickly give me a head’s up about an ailment they are struggling with, nine times out of ten it’s knee stuff. They may have injured it long ago playing soccer, or perhaps it’s a mysterious pain. (Oh, if I had a dime for every time I heard, “I have a bad knee.”) The knee is a complicated joint and unlike the elbow, the knee bares our body’s weight a lot of the time....
We’ve recently had some brutally gloomy days with cold rain and weird fog. It was a “driving with the headlights on during the day” kinda day, and you couldn’t tell what time it was because the lighting never shifted. It was very low vibe. Even the dogs just wanted to stay home, curled up, snug in their beds. Working out on days like these can appear against the grain. It can seem forced. The last thing you’re thinking of...
Most people are not psyched about forearm plank. There is very little “I love forearm plank” being said in the studio. You and I can go our whole lives, never do another forearm plank, and be just fine. It’s not like air. We don’t need it. With that said, forearm plank gives us more bang for our buck than pretty much any other equipment-less strengthening exercise. There are so many benefits: it builds heat. It strengthens...
