Day eight was a bump in the road filled with pain and uncertainty. Do you know what I figured out at the end of the day? The pain was so intense because I had my binder on too tight. Interestingly, it was the pain that drove the fear, doubt, and uncertainty. As soon as I connected the dots and my husband adjusted the binder, all of that went away!
Here is where I am moving, speaking from day number nine…
Morning routine:
Wake up–drink 1.5 liters of water while I perform my movement routine
Morning movement:
1. Standing breath with hip rocking matrix (neutral foot position) and breath exerciser.
2. Spiky ball foot mobility
3. Isometrics
4. Power plate step matrix
5. Pelvicore seated
6. Arm swing matrix-seated
7. Sit disc hip rocking
Walk 20 minutes
Mid-morning:
Choose two of the above exercises
Walk 15 minutes
Mid-day:
Choose four of the above exercises
Walk 10 minutes
Afternoon:
Choose two of the above exercises
Walk 5 minutes around the house
Mid-afternoon:
Choose two of the above exercises
Walk 5 minutes around the house
Evening:
Choose four of the above exercises
Walk 5 minutes around the house
The goal is to get little bites of movement without stimulating a pain reaction! I am finding breath to be my greatest marker of progress. Initially, I could not get a deep breath and I felt very restricted through my ribs. Now, I can feel the deep breath fill my lungs and actually get an excursion through my ribcage.
I am adding new exercises every three days, so here I am today... Extra special thanks to Tina Christie, PT, creator of Pelvicore Pro, friend, and brilliant women's health mentor!
To put it mildly, my myofascial system has been disrupted. In order to recover the integrity of the whole, I must start from the ground up.
Spiky ball massage helps the myofascial system to reduce muscle tension, improve blood flow, increase body awareness, and aid in injury prevention and rehabilitation. Although I do not have foot pain, releasing any tension points with the spiky ball can reduce pain levels up the chain, like into my pelvic floor, improve range of motion through specific muscles and subsequently improve joint motion. Use code MHEALTH10 for a discount on your Vivobarefoot shoes!
I am walking and moving and reaching, at least to the initial range... So, we should prepare the connective tissue system to tolerate these movements. Here is a simple, initial range arm swing matrix from seated.
The progression goes from seated at knee height to seated at waist height to seated on the shoulder to seated overhead.
In order to reestablish integrity through the whole myofascial system, I have to expose myself to different angles and lines of tension. So here is a variation of the seated arm swing matrix against the wall. You could also perform this sitting on the edge of the couch or on a tall box or a bar stool. Try all of the foot positions!
This initial position helps to begin some gentle loading to the abdominal wall with breath and variable hand and foot positions. This will slowly progress to the ground where eventually I will be on my hands and toes.
The Pelvicore Pro adds a slight load along with the breath and the addition of gravity.
Without adequate movement through my ankle, a simple natural gait pattern can create an uneven pull on the pelvis. The ankle has a major role in hip strength and mobility so it is important to train the ankle to help with the hip. This pattern includes all three planes of motion for the ankle.
The breathing exerciser makes all the difference with this simple wall sliding pattern. The slight resistance from the device forces me to focus on the depth and rhythm of my breath. This pattern will eventually progress with hands reaching down towards the floor and up to overhead at end ranges. There is lots of room for growth here!!
I am SO grateful for my knowledge going into this reintegration period. The creativity of Applied Functional Science rooted in principles gives me the freedom to use movement to help my body heal itself!
I am looking forward to sharing some more creative movements in the next update!