Move Well, Be Well

Hour after hour, keystroke after keystroke, your body is howling. By the end of the day, your back is aching and your neck is tighter than a lane change in rush-hour traffic.

What is really causing all this pain? Is it stress or the mouse at your desk?

There are several environmental and behavioral factors, but in the end what’s causing most of your pain is most likely a shortening of tissue, mostly in the trapezius (neck area) and levator (shoulder blade) muscles. Muscles and connective tissue tend to become less elastic when put to task on prolonged, focused, restrictive movements, such as typing or moving things around a computer screen with your mouse.

Think about a rubber band airplane. You spin the propeller as much as you can. To spin it early on is pretty easy, but the more you tighten the band, the harder that same motion becomes. What would happen if you replaced a normal-sized rubber band with a shorter one? Would you be able to spin the propeller as much?

Take shortened tissues and add stress, say from work or just life, and you crank the propeller that much more – like using a vacuum cleaner belt instead of a rubber band in your airplane.

Specific connective tissue stretching can effectively reestablish tissue space and relieved pain all of these over-worked areas. That is: when you’re not emotionally tense, should you be having tension headaches? NO!

Here are a few of our favorite stretches you can do on your own:

Other, more powerful stretches you need a trained Rossiter Coach for. We eat headaches for breakfast. A Rossiter coach is trained to look at your body, specifically your posture, to see tension patterns and imbalances. Our know-how and guidance combined with your movement and gumption can reset these shortened tissues.

Stop chewing the Advil and help your body for real!

If the DIY-route is more of a pain in your neck, contact us to see how Rossiter can help!

(photo credit: day n nite)

Knee pain is pretty common – but the cause is not always common sense.

The cause of most knee pain isn’t found within the joint; knee inflammation and ‘off and on’ pain often can be traced to – and compounded by – surrounding tissues like the quadriceps, hamstrings, and especially the calves.

This is true for ‘inside’ knee pain, ‘outside’ knee pain, knee cap (patella) pain, and back of knee pain. The poor knee is in the middle of everything, and is often the little guy that gets pulled around in a big tug-of-war.

I blogged earlier on the effect of limited, focused movements over time on your shoulders and neck. Same theory, different body area.

We often hear clients say it’s hard to go upstairs, hard to get out of a chair, and that knee pain limits their walking and exercise. This is no way to live! With the right stretching know-how, and bodywork such as Rossiter, most people with chronic knee pain can successfully reduce or eliminate their knee pain, and restore normal healthy function of the entire leg.

Some stretches you can DIY to find tension in your legs:

To learn how to take control of your knee pain, and Rossiter it away, give us a call.

We’ve all heard the recent studies about sitting too much, and the threat of disease or the Grim Reaper.

What’s important to remember is that the danger isn’t from simply being overweight or not getting enough cardio. The key takeaway is that our bodies were meant to move, and if we don’t move enough, the consequences could be deadly.

In my opinion, the greater risk is the myriad of illnesses that come along with an unhealthy body. To me, it’s never been about living a quantity of years, but having the most value from each day for the rest of your life, for yourself and for others.

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to be Mr. or Mrs Universe to do that. You just need to practice ‘minimal fitness’. That is: the minimal amount of general upkeep that is required for your body to be sustainably functional for your everyday life.

Practicing minimal fitness won’t get you to the top of a mountain or winning any marathons, but it will prevent your body from deteriorating in ways it should not (but many people do, unnecessarily).

Your body, at the very least, is made to: stand up from squatting position, stabilize your hips and spine, balance on one foot, extend your shoulders over your head, bend and reach, twist, hop, throw, and of course walk.

The alternative (losing function) isn’t nearly as much fun, and ultimately, is a lot more work. If you’re struggling, reach out to get encouragement to live above a minimal lifestyle (mere survival) so you too can live a healthy FUNctional lifestyle.