Sport Fitness & Physique

Posts Tagged ‘alignment’

Are  you where you would like to be?

Did you envision this for your life -for your health?
Are you right where you wanted to be?

Did you see your future? Have you been confident and strong in your life decisions thus far?

Things are Looking Up? -Are you?

We create it, you know?
We create our future.

It’s strange -but it’s so true.

Our dreams are simply unrealized goals -our unrealized potential.

I have met so many successful people who are successful -simply because they want to be -simply because they believe they can do whatever it is that they want to do.

That is their only qualification -a steadfast belief in themselves.

They are not highly educated, not particularly gifted -didn’t get any ‘breaks’  -The only ‘breaks’ these people got were the honest advantages they created for themselves through hard work, determination and a burning desire to be who they believed themselves to be.

Looking back at our lives….we can clearly see that everything we have ever dreamed, has become realized -to one extent or another.  We are living everything that we ever thought or believed about ourselves in some capacity or another -are we not?

Think about it…..

Look back five years.
Are you now, where you believed you would be -five years into the future? -Are you close?

Did you even have a vision five years ago?

Did you not have a vision?

If not, then is it any wonder that you have bounced along in haphazard fashion until now find yourself in life situations that keep you off balance, unhappy, unhealthy and out of alignment?

You’re not supposed to be unhappy -unhealthy or out of balance.

Each one of us has the infinite potential to become more.

What will you become?

Focus your attention on that which you will become.

Erase the negative thoughts -ignore the negative feedback -refuse to accept anything but that which you desire.

Try this:
Take 10 minutes each and every day and visualize your future. Really focus and believe that the universe will conspire to propel you into your ultimate state of being. -Repeat this simple affirmation as your vision achieves realization in your mind.

“I am an instrument of infinite creation. Abundance flows to me -through me and beyond me into the infinite abundance of all creation. I am at one with all that I desire. I attract goodness and share all the goodness I attract with others.”

See your future in rich, glowing detail as you repeat this mantra to yourself.  Write down what it is that you will achieve by 2015.
Write it down and read it daily.

You are responsible for the creation of your life.

Take control of that wonderful responsibility -and enjoy the process of making all your unrealized potential -a glowing reality.

To your Best Life Ever!

Paul D'Arcy NSCA, CPT, Poliquin certified BioSignature Practitioner

Full Range of Motion Movements Relieve Pain and Muscular Tightness

If you spend a lot of time at a desk or do a lot of driving (some of you do both!) -you probably suffer from muscular stiffness, lower back pain, neck pain, headaches, poor sleep and low energy.  You may be cranky, irritable, short tempered and generally in a ‘bad mood’ for most of the day.

Doesn’t sound like a very good time.

Well, there is a solution and it doesn’t involve narcotics, surgery, over-the-counter medications or even all that much work.   In fact, the relatively small amount of effort that this solution requires can actually be a lot of fun.   You can do it at the office, at home, in the morning, in the evening, at lunch -anytime!   You don’t need any special equipment and you don’t need much room either.

You see, although muscular stiffness, lower back pain, neck pain, headaches, poor sleep and low energy all sound like separate issues stemming from different problems …they are most likely the result of  only one of two things:

Pain and Sufferring? We can help!

A.) Limited Movement and Limited Range of Motion or
B.) Chronic Overuse

-and both of these issues can be corrected simply and effectively with very little space, very little time and zero equipment.

Ready?

Let’s lay out  just one simple plan to heal your aching body.
Here is a 6 step plan to do just that.

Step one:
Take a few minutes, at least four days a week (higher frequency would be better). Lay down flat on the floor.  Just relax and feel your body settle into position. Focus on relaxing your body and relax your breathing. You should begin to feel your spine find its own neutrality.  Allow your spine to settle into alignment.

Step two:
With your hands relaxed at your sides, draw your knees up until your feet are flat on the floor.

Step three:
Keeping your back, butt and feet -flat on the floor -flex your abdominal musculature, tilting your pelvis upward towards the ceiling (or sky).  As you flex your abdominals, pinch your shoulder blades together and roll your shoulders back into the floor.  Try to completely flatten your spine using only the muscles of your trunk.  Try not to use your arms to stabilize yourself.  Hold this position for a count of 10. Relax, breathe deeply and repeat this sequence until fatigued.

Floor Work

Hip Extension - Lumbar Spinal flexion and stretch

Step four:
Keeping your back, butt and shoulder blades flat on the floor, lift your feet and draw your knees up towards your chest.  Now turn your toes up towards the sky and slowly lower your feet back to starting position (to the floor -and under control).

Step five:
Keeping your back, butt and shoulder blades flat on the floor -extend your right leg, touch your heel to the floor and then slowly raise your leg up towards the sky as far as comfortably possible. Lower your right leg and repeat the exercise with your left leg. Repeat this sequence until fatigued. All movements should be slow and controlled.

Step six:
Roll over and get up on all fours. Relax your spine, let it sway down towards the floor and stretch it out.  Then, roll your spine up and arch your back up into a hump-like position.  Allow your spine to stretch and elongate in this position. Repeat this process until fatigued.

Stretching and Rehabbing the Lumbar Spine

So that’s it….Simple, Time Saving and Effective.
You can do this short routine at home -first thing in the morning…
You can take a break at work and do this short and invigorating routine during your lunch break…
You can also relieve and revive yourself when you get home by following these simple, back saving exercises any time…night or day.

Back ache?

Do you suffer from back pain?

Do you wake up with a backache?

Uncomfortable lying down?

Lose sleep because of it?

Is standing for long periods uncomfortable?

If you’re like most folks, you probably spend a lot of time in the seated position -working from a desk, sitting at a computer terminal, driving, commuting, watching television in the evening etc…

When our bodies are in the seated position day in and day out we lose elasticity in our muscles, tendons and connective tissue.

Muscles begin to shrink -to adapt to the seated positioning we adopt so often. This shrinkage causes our posture to change and will even begin to shift our pelvis into a forward alignment called hyperlordosis.

This exaggerated alignment causes compression on our lumbar spine which in turn gives us pain.

Do you have excessive, compressive lordosis of the lumbar spine?

Take a look at your waistline from the side.

Is your belt or waistband parallel to the floor -or is it angled forward?

A healthy alignment would be parallel.

Chances are if you suffer from back pain, your pelvis has a forward alignment…..but we can fix that.

Physical therapy and corrective stretching and strengthening exercises provide relief in over 75% of back pain sufferers.

Take a look at this short video series and take action!

Hip Activation

Hurdler Stretches

Hip and hamstring series

Use these stretches and strengthening movements and stay with it.

You will be surprised at how a little rehab can go a long way to correcting your lower back pain problem.

~To your Good Health!