Tandem Hamstring Mobilization with Partner Distraction
LFPB Challenge Substitutions
When analyzing a behavior, start from the perspective that your reasons behind doing it are completely rational. Regardless of how constructive or destructive the action is, it makes sense to you because it fulfills a particular desire in your life. An example would be walking over to the pastries left out in the break room and eating a donut everyday. You’re compelled to eat them because they taste good, they’re available and by 3pm you’re usually little burnt out and want something to make you feel better. A perfect storm! From that perspective, we can see why despite knowing this behavior is counterproductive to your long term goals, it “makes sense” to you in the moment and you rationalize eating that donut every day.
As we roll into the Look, Feel and Perform Better Challenge, you’ll be asked to make some positive behavior changes over the next 6 weeks. If you approach it with the perspective of simply abstaining from things you enjoy, it’s going to be a long month and a half that can fatigue your personal will power. Instead, think (or write down!) the behaviors you want to modify and analyze what they’re doing for you. This can provide a more practical framework for substituting behaviors while still placating some of those emotions that want to be satisfied. In the example above, a possible alternative would be to eat a fruit salad around 3pm instead of the donut. You’re still satisfying your desire for a something sweet, getting that mid-day pick up and performing an action that is relatively easy to accomplish. NOT doing a particular behavior can be similarly analyzed. For example you might set an intention to stretch your hip flexors and calves out for 10 minutes each day. However after a couple days of bailing on it you realize there doesn’t seem to be any time in the morning for stretching and by the time you get home from work your will to be proactive in anything seems to have vanished. Instead you go home and fiddle around on the internet until it’s time to go to bed. In this scenario, maybe you need to readjust the amount of time you planned on stretching (does 10 minutes seem long enough to want to avoid it? Maybe everyday seemed too daunting to get started on) or perhaps you can sit in a samson stretch while you check email at night, alternating after about 5 emails. After that perform a quick :30 calve march before bed. Although it’s not the ten minutes you planned on, you’re moving in the right direction by making it something that seems almost TOO easy. Remember, doing something for less than you might need is a better start than not doing it at all.
Think about a behavior you engage in, try to understand why you do it (or avoid it) and see if you can create substitutions to spare your willpower and cultivate a healthy alternative.
Also, don’t forget to sign up for the Look Feel and Perform Better Challenge. Social support is another huge motivator, more on that later.
Complimentary Range of Motion Testing
FUN FACT: The Psoas muscle was the first muscle to develop in utero. It is why it is so intimately connected with our fight-or-flight reactions, and linked to the state of our stress and nerves. Want to know if your Psoas is limiting the mobility in your hip?? Inka will be doing complementary ROM (range of motion) testing and MLT (muscle length testing) for the hip flexor joint/ muscles. She will take you through AROM (active range of motion) and then PROM (passive range of motion) and will help you figure out if you are within normal range of motion for these muscles. How does this help your workout? Knowing where you fall short can help you figure out where you need to roll out and stretch more and give you that extra edge during your workout. It can also help to prevent injury by addressing the imbalances in your body. She will also be working on your psoas muscle which is a muscle that is hard to get to by yourself and is often neglected.
The psoas can also be a factor in low back pain since it attaches your vertebrae to your inner thigh. There are a number of reasons why it causes low back pain but a big one is from sitting down for a prolonged amount of time. Your Psoas starts to think this contracted state is a normal resting position and your tissues want to move into that resting position, leaving you tight and contracted
Resident Massage Therapist, Inka Hodes will be offering this from this Sunday during the morning classes and Open Gym. Email her directly to make an appt. inka.hodes(AT)gmail.com
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