Good Monday Morning to you and Happy Labor Day!

Labor Day was declared a national holiday in 1894 and pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of workers across the United States. On this Labor Day, we thank the entire CAL FIRE team for their hard work and dedication each and every day! Happy #LaborDay!

Living in California and dealing with the ongoing annual fires that appear to be here to stay, I’m particularly grateful to our amazing Fire Fighters. Many have been evacuated twice, lost their homes twice and continue the heartbreaking fight yearly. We continually feel blessed and grateful our house is still standing.

While the smoke has played havoc on our eyes and lungs and we are encouraged to stay inside on certain days, it’s a small price to pay for the devastation at hand. Our immune system is compromised, pulmonary issues and eye issues can kick up and breathing can be difficult so it’s best to stay inside to do your workouts. If you are outside, limit your time outdoors but don’t use it as an excuse not to workout.

So, on to the purpose of this post which is to MOVE and STAND TALL❣️

Did I just hear you grown or were jumping up and down clapping? I know it comes at the last day of the long weekend and if you happened to be one of those that partook in lots of festivities, you might feel like laying low today and that’s ok but it’s not an excuse not to move. As you can see I’m on the slow train today posting in the afternoon instead of my usual 8 a.m.

At the very least it’s important to get up out of your chair or off of the couch and get the juices flowing. Your body and your mind need it but first, breath a few grateful breaths as you sip your morning favorite beverage.

daily morning grind
vision blurred by fogginess
coffee perks us up

Standing tall and sitting in a correct anatomical position is so critical for proper alignment and avoiding compression in your spine and joints and it has to be adhered to, to avoid Dowagers hump, stenosis and stress on the joints. As we age it gets harder to stay upright with gravity taking its toll, so we must do everything in our power to combat the tendency to slump. I can’t tell you the amount of clients I see that I nag about posture, which makes a huge difference on every joint in our body.

It happens to the best of us:

In the process of deciding that I would post something on the subject to the actual writing of it, my back went out which hasn’t happened for a long time since I am an avid exerciser. My L 4 and L5 disks compressed a nerve creating a bulging disk. As I stood to start my day, I couldn’t weight bare and had to lay down on the ground and stretch for about 45 minutes before I could even get the the bathroom. My hips were feeling ok which has been my ongoing issue but no doubt contributed to the misalignment and the impact of the falls that I’ve had lately. The day before I was in tip top shape or so it seemed with big plans for the day ahead…not so fast. Besides, it’s rarely one thing that throws your body out of wack but a series of things that effect the kinetic chain that finally gives way.

My husband was gone so I asked my son if he would give me a gentle bear hug and lift me to pop my vertebrae back in place which generally works like a charm. There was a big pop and a groan by me and he said “wow that was a loud crack of your back”. I looked at him and sighed and said “that would have been my rib”.

It just so happened I had a Ortho evaluation and ex-ray scheduled for Monday which was perfect timing so I could find out what was going on. My back was pretty much back to normal by then but my rib cage was killing me. It turns out I have arthritis and bone spurs on each of my Femur bones ( the bones that fit into your pelvis on either side).

The doctor wasn’t certain if the pop in my rib was a broken or I had pulled the inter-coastal muscles or it was just a strain. Chances are pretty good it is a strain. While breaks from adjustments are rare in chiropractic treatments, I know clients who have had ribs broken from high velocity adjustments which is why I recommend and do soft tissue manipulation which avoids jarring on the joints. This is good information from pub med if you do think you have a cracked or popped rib. This is the problem when professionals decide to take matters into their own hands: myself included… lesson learned.

Aging Ain’t For Sissy’s

When I looked at my hips they looked so asymmetrical (most of us do have asymmetries in the body FYI), which in actuality were even but my huge scoliosis was what was making them appear as such. When people hear scoliosis, they often freak out when in fact a nearly 20% of adults have scoliosis, and another found scoliosis in two-thirds of people over 60 years old. In short, it’s a curvature of the spine which can be mild to severe creating little pain if any to a good deal of pain. Females tend to get it more than males and it is often something you are born with. Physical therapy was prescribed and rather than trying to treat myself, I’m going to go and get support even though I would bet you they are the same corrective exercises I would give to clients.

this side of the hill
scaling takes a little time
all systems a go

I always evaluate what I may have done when I get an injury or a wake up call when something like this happens. I thought back to my posture while I was typing in bed that night and it turns out I was slouching without back support, putting undue pressure on my joints.

I also will sit for hours without getting up and I know better.

I went outside and laid flat in a lounge chair and asked

“what is this about”?

The Answer:

Stay mindful in movement

Get up every 30 minutes (of course I know this)

Keep your posture impeccable

Drop what you cannot do (Rome wasn’t built in a day)

Do not walk and write

You can’t afford more falls

Take your vitamins

Keep your daily back exercise routine.

I vowed right then and there that I needed to take heed and cannot ignore the fact I live in my body and I can’t take it for granted anymore and The time is NOW.

Here is a great exercise called Angel Arms to open your chest (pectoral muscles), lengthen your cervical spine correcting forward head and practicing neutral spine.

See my post I’ve Got Your Back for a 15 min. back exercise routine and more tips.

Here is this months video of Tai Chi movements to work on balance, posture, proprioception which is simply the awareness of the position and movement of the body.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping in today. I do hope it was helpful.

Stay Mindful Blessed and Safe,

💖

Cindy

I’ve Got Your Back

Interview with a Fitness Coach