Monday, March 17, 2014

Oh boy..reflections

I will be the first to openly admit that I am awful at reflecting on my life no matter if it is the physical, psychological or spiritual aspect. With that being said, I had a very difficult time coming up with the conclusion that all three aspects are at an average level for me with a grade of 'C." I think all areas can use some work and have some room for improvement. My physical well-being could be better since I do not go to the gym as much as I would like to, and I have a goal to increase my weekly visits either by going another day or staying longer and performing more exercise. Psychologically, my boyfriend and I joke that I am a little on the crazy side-and its totally true-sometimes ;). I can definitely improve in this aspect by not allowing small things to affect me the way they do by causing inexplicable anxiety over something stupid. Lastly, my spiritual well-being can use some work as well since that is something I do not address regularly. Since I am not the most religious person, I look at spirituality as being connected with yourself and your beliefs not only mentally, but in how you act. While the relaxation exercise was-ehem-relaxing, I had a difficult time pushing outside thoughts from affecting me from fully engaging as well as being physically interrupted half way through making it quite frustrating. I think with some practice though, this could ultimately help me connect with my inner-self as well as others at a much better level. Also, using these techniques will better by abilities in my career since I will be helping others achieve just the same after an accident, surgery or chronic problem.  

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome!!  I am a pre-physical therapy student that is ready to embrace the challenge of properly educating the public on activities of daily living. A lot of us do not realize the little changes we can make to feel better about ourselves everyday. The first activity I want to discuss is glute walking. This a super easy tool to keep in your pocket to strengthen muscles and help posture while also preventing that troublesome low back pain!

To properly glute walk, you want to isolate the activation of each glute while you are walking. What this means, is to squeeze your butt cheek one at a time as you are walking. An example: if you are stepping onto your right foot, you want to activate, or squeeze your right glute until you place your left foot down where you would switch to activating your left glute then.

When I first started glute walking, I found myself incorporating it the most when I was in the grocery store for some reason, but maybe it will be different for you! No one will be able to notice what you are doing, but will simply see the newly found confidence you will have while walking since you will be standing up straighter. So, get yourself walking out there and give it a try! 

Deziree