7 Tips to Increase Your Hip Flexibility

One of the biggest complaints my clients present during their sessions is a lack of flexibility. With the high number of professional computer jockeys in today's modern world, the common complaints are limited range of motion in the hips and shoulders, pain in the neck, back, and feet.

Sitting all day, especially at an ergonomically challenging computer set up, creates a shortening in your hip flexors (the muscles along the front of your hip and thigh that pull you down into a chair). These muscles in turn pull your lumbar spine forward, causing tension and stiffness in the low back and bracing in your hips.

Additionally, 99.9% of everyone I see in my office sits incorrectly. I attribute this to a lifetime spent on soft, cushy couches and overstuffed easy chairs. Unfortunately, while plush seating may feel nice for a while, it has the effect of rolling your sacrum under so that your weight isn't centered over your ischial tuberosities (sitting bones) but rather on the last vertebra of your spine (i.e. your sacrum).

Once your sacrum is jammed, your entire spine compensates. This is why a headache or sore neck is actually located in your pelvis, and why work around the hips and low back will generally result in greater shoulder mobility.

Here are 7 easy tips to increase your flexibility and range of motion while reducing pain and stiffness:

1. When sitting for prolonged periods, make sure your hips are higher than your knees. If your knees are higher than your hips, all of your weight falls into your pelvis while the job of holding you upright falls to your hip flexors and the postural stabilizers of your low back.

Instead of bracing your torso to stay upright, place your feet flat on the floor, one foot a few inches in front of the other. By pressing into the ground, you should feel support travel up through your legs and into your low back. Taking the strain off your back is the first step in allowing greater mobility.

2. Do squats* - full on, all the way to your heels squats! Squats force you to mobilize your ankles, knees, hips, and the facet joints in your spine. Most people who haven't ever trained for this kind of movement find even a basic squat with no weight to be challenging.

When performing the maneuver, make sure your torso doesn't pitch forward. Holding a small weight, a weighted bar, or a wooden dowel in front of your chest, as in a traditional front squat position, can help you stay upright.

If you are not flexible enough to keep your feet relatively parallel, start with your legs wider apart, feet turned out at 45 degrees. The more you practice squatting, the more willing your body will be to go all the way to the ground.

3. Practice sitting down on the ground and getting up without using your hands*. This is especially helpful for lubricating the hip joints, and it erases the fear that people develop as they age that they will fall and not be able to get back up. It has the added bonus of loosening the lateral rotators of the hip - the muscles that are implicated in sciatica.

Start by finding a way to bring yourself to a seated position on the floor, hands free. Then, get up, also without using your hands. Repeat the exercise several times, finding as many different ways to sit down and stand up as you can.

When the exercise becomes too easy, add a weight. Hold 10-25lbs (or more, if you're comfortable) at chest height while sitting and standing. This not only mobilizes but also strengthens the joints.

4. When choosing a chair for your computer desk set up, select a firm, flat surface over any padded and contoured seats. Most chairs are designed for an "average" or "standard" body, and anyone who has ever shopped for the perfect pair of jeans knows that one size does not fit all!

Flat surfaces make it easier for you to sit forward on your sitting bones - your ischial tuberosities. You should feel equal weight on both your right and left tuberosities. If not, try to center yourself as best you can without contorting your body. Just relax down onto the chair.

Sitting on your ischial tuberosities is much more stable than sitting on your sacrum. Your postural stabilizing muscles can easily relax and reduce the bracing along your spine, creating instant mobility for your back (this is absolutely key in resolving back and neck pain!).

5. Take extra deep breaths. With all the stimulus coming at us from all directions - television, internet, books, MP3 players, digital advertising, children, pets.... - it's easy to forget to breathe.

When you cease breathing deeply, your diaphragm becomes tight. Anatomically, the fascia of your diaphragm connects directly to your hip flexors, so if your diaphragm is constricted, your hip flexors will be, too.

Take time each and every day to lie quietly on your back. Breathe deeply, relaxing your rib cage, spine, and abdominal muscles. Allow your internal organs to rest heavily into your back. As you become more relaxed, direct your breathing down deeper and deeper into your pelvis, relaxing all of the tension in your low back, sacrum, gluteus muscles, and thighs. As you become more skilled at conscious breathing, you can begin to direct your breath all the way out the bottoms of your feet.

6. Practice dynamic joint mobility - taking each hip joint through a series of repetitive movements designed to increase the range of motion. This kind of movement increases the flow of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints. It also provides excellent neurological feedback. Range of motion is a use it or lose it proposition; the more your remind your body that you need to be able to make large, open movements, the more willing your nervous system will be to allow you to do just that.

7. Stretch your hip flexors, especially after long car or airplane trips. As mentioned previously, sitting shortens the anterior muscles of your hip and thigh. To keep them long and limber, stretch daily, or at least several times a week.

Any maneuver that causes a lengthening along the front of your hip and thigh will lengthen the hip flexors. Some of my favorites include lunges* (keep your torso upright - do not allow yourself to fall forward over your front knee) and bridges* (a full back bend with hands and feet on the floor - modify this to a shoulder bridge if you aren't quite ready for this pose).

Expert Tips on How to Prevent Cycling Back Pain and Injury - Cycling Health Benefits

Cycling Health Benefits

The Tour de France has inspired millions of bicycle riders of all ages and from around the world to get fit and have fun through cycling. Whether you are a novice bike rider or an experienced cyclist, it won't take you long to discover the numerous health benefits associated with bicycling. Likewise, learning how to cycle safely and how to prevent back pain and injury while you ride will go a long way in enhancing your cycling experience.

Since riding a bike is easy on the joints, it is one of the easiest forms of exercising. It provides a terrific cardiovascular workout for your heart, builds muscles in your legs, quads, hips and core, and ultimately increases spinal stabilization. In fact, even people suffering from conditions such as osteoarthritis, joint pain, and hip and knee replacements are able to cycle and keep pace with other cyclists. Finally, riding a bike is simply good old-fashioned fun and a great way to spend some quality time outdoors or enjoy the company of fellow cyclists.

Causes of Cycling and Back Pain

However, the sport of bicycling has also been associated with upper and lower back pain. According to sports doctors, the three primary causes contributing to cycling back pain are: bike fit (riding a bicycle which is not properly fit to your body); core muscle strength (which you can improve through Pilates and certain types of yoga, as well as through back-strengthening exercises); back posture or riding style (the degree to which you are hunched over while cycling).

Additional causes for bike riding back pain include overly taut hamstrings, poor posture on and off your bike, lack of flexibility, and cycling on rough terrain (which can jar and compress the spine, causing back pain). Finally, musculoskeletal conditions such as misalignment of your spine or leg length discrepancies can also give rise to back pain during cycling.

Expert Tips on How to Prevent Cycling Back Pain

• Have an experienced professional (i.e. from your local bike store) help adjust your bicycle to properly fit your body


• For better back posture while cycling, keep your chest up, distributing weight to your arms; occasionally shift positions and gently lower and lift your head to loosen the neck muscles


• Be sure to both push and pull with your legs while cycling


• Invest in bike accessories such as shock-absorbing seats, shock-absorbing seat and handlebar covers, shock absorbers on the wheels, and gloves


• Combine back-strengthening exercises and yoga with your cycling routine to prevent injury and to provide the ultimate workout

Osteoarthritis and Animals

For most animal owners the idea of their furry companion developing a disease such as osteoarthritis seems unlikely; that is until it happens. This potentially disabling condition is the number one type of joint disease in cats, dogs, and horse. It also occurs in almost all other animals with a backbone, including fish, amphibians, and birds. In this informational article titled osteoarthritis and animals we will be focusing on the defining the condition along with a few simple ideas that could be helpful in reversing its impact.  

Osteoarthritis in past years was simply called degenerative joint disease. It is a chronic condition affecting joint cartilage and surrounding tissue that is recognized by pain, stiffness, and in extreme cases immobility.   While this osteoarthritis is primarily seen in older animals, it is not caused primarily by the wear and tear that occurs with years of use. Instead, microscopic changes in the makeup of the cartilage (structure and composition) appear to be the culprit.   When an animal walks or runs they have an amazing ability to make it look easy. Their amazing mobility is enhanced by joints which have a very low friction level that will protect their joints from wearing out, even after years of use.

Current research suggests that osteoarthritis in animals begins with an abnormality of the cells that synthesize the components of cartilage such as collagen (a durable, fibrous protein) and proteoglycans (substances that provide resilience).  Once the process has begun the next step is likely swelling due to water retention. As the process continues cartilage becomes soft, and then develops cracks on the surface. Tiny cavities form in the bone beneath the cartilage, weakening the bone. Bone growth may then become irregular, producing sharp edges and bumps.

The result is that the once smooth surface that allowed your animal to move so gracefully becomes rough and pitted, so much so that the joint can no longer move smoothly and absorb impact producing pain and immobility.   Osteoarthritis in animals is incurable, but there are a number of steps you can take to improve their quality of life.

The different size and shape of animals makes universal treatment ideas few and far between but nevertheless let's explore a few of these.  
*Provide a warm place for them to sleep and rest: Often times joints will stiffen up during a nap or overnight.   *Weight management: Not only is excess weight one of the major contributing factors in the onset of osteoarthritis in animals it also plays a major role in its progression.  
*Water therapy: This is not for all animals but if you can use water to take the stress off of the impacted joints during joint therapy it could be beneficial.  
*Sensible exercise: Sensible exercise is essential in maintaining muscle mass and preserving the remaining joint flexibility.  

Additionally, there are a number of excellent bone and joint supplements formulated specifically to restore cartilage health in animals. If your furry companion is struggling with joint mobility supplementation is worth considering.

TMJ Symptoms Disguised As Everyday Medical Conditions

The early signs of TMJ or TMJ symptoms can sometimes be hard to detect. This is due to the fact that these signs can mimic more common medical conditions like earaches, headaches, jaw pain and "clicking" or "popping" sounds when opening or closing the mouth.

The bad news is that this mis-diagnosis often results in valuable time lost as sufferers consult with a number of doctors or specialists looking for a cure. Those who are lucky enough to contact a dentist in the early stages avoid unnecessary pain and worry as they get the pain relief they need so desperately.

One of the most common signs of TMJ disorder is teeth grinding (commonly known as bruxism). When someone clenches or grinds his or her teeth, additional stress is put onto already tired and overworked muscles. This stress is then transferred to the head, neck, face, shoulders, and in some extreme cases, the back.

Another common symptom of TMJ disorder that is usually mistaken for a regular medical condition is headaches. The biggest reason people do not think of headaches as a TMJ symptom is because they are more commonly confused with migraine headaches.

TMJ headaches usually start in the temple area (right behind the eyes), the back of the head, and the pain travels along the neck and shoulders. On the other hand, migraine headaches cause visual impairments (including sensitivity to light) and can be felt mainly on one side of the head. Unfortunately, the treatment for migraine headaches do not provide permanent relief for TMJ disorder induced headaches. To get proper diagnosis for TMJ disorder, you will need to consult a dentist or a dental specialist and not a neurologist. An excellent source of information for TMJ disorder treatment is the American Academy of Head, Neck and Facial Pain.

Jaw clicking and/or popping are also common TMJ symptoms. Many people dismiss this symptom as an everyday occurrence because at the early stages, jaw clicking and popping does not usually interfere in their daily lives. The clicking sound occurs when the condyle moves forward when the mouth opens and the condyle slips on and off the dislocated disc. The bad news is that if left alone, the condition could become worse. This is why early detection is crucial. When the clicking sound becomes louder, chances are the condition is getting worse and the pain can become more intense at a rapid pace.

In order to avoid a delayed diagnoses, keep in mind that some of the common TMJ symptoms that are disguised as common medical problems include headaches, earaches, jaw pain and "clicking" or "popping" sounds when opening or closing the mouth. If any of these TMJ symptoms are constant for an extended amount of time and only seem to be getting worse, then you need to look for medical attention as soon as possible.

30 Benefits of Clearing and Balancing Your Chakras

Do You pay attention to your chakras? They're there working in balance or out of balance all the time whether You pay attention or not. Why not tap into the healing potential available to You by being conscious about your chakra energetic system?

Do you ever have physical, emotional or mental issues that just don't ever seem to be resolved or keep reoccurring? Chakra imbalances can show up in various ways. Here is a list of some common manifestations of chakras not functioning properly. Do You recognize any of these symptoms?

Physical Imbalances

Low back pain
Repeated injury to the same area
Bladder or bowel issues
Skin disorders
Immune disorders
Lack of Circulation
Reproductive disorders
Low sex drive
Digestive disorders
Thyroid problems
Heart Disorders
TMJ
Dental issues
Eye weakness
Breathing Issues
Headaches
Nervous disorders
Emotional Imbalances

Low self Esteem
Need for Approval
Eating disorders
Inability to express self
Lack of willpower
Abusiveness, self or others
Anger
Deep Sadness
Close hearted
Moodiness
Addictions
Depression
Mental Imbalances

Jealousy
Resentment
Indecision
Unclear communicating
Boredom and Apathy
Judgement
Criticism
Lack of Creativity
Overly analytical
Dogmatic
Materialistic
Ego centered
Lack of Motivation
Disconnected to life reality
Exclusion
Scattered
Unstable
Insecure
Fear of Lack
You can learn to be aware of your chakras and harmonize and balance the energy running through them. By clearing your chakras you may experience the following benefits:

30 Benefits of clearing and balancing chakras

Increased awareness and openness to Psychic and Spiritual Information
Faster and greater ability to heal your Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Issues
Transform weaknesses into strengths
Easier Release of Non Supportive Patterns
Increased Passion for Life
Experience the Power of living Present in the Now
Overcome boredom by infusing spirit into mundane
Become comfortable facing uncertainty by tapping into the stability of your Self
Increased manifesting ability to create what You want in life
Access financial wisdom
Enjoy healthy and loving relationships
Greater pleasure and enjoyment in life
Realization of your self worth
Make clear choices that reflect who You are
Self confidence to accept and express yourself
Ease in experiencing Love and forgiveness of self and others.
Access inspiration to turn dreams into reality
Awareness and dedication to your Highest life path.
Increase the health and strength of your immune system
Recognition and increase intuition
Express and release emotions in a healthy manner
Increased personal integrity
Attain self mastery
Access your inner wisdom
Enjoy the clarity of a focused mind
Abundant inner guidance by maintaining a strong connection to Source
Live your Highest Life Path
Tap into your Will Power
Clear communication of your heart and mind
Experience the power of being grounded in physical and your Spiritual Higher Self simultaneously
The benefits of clear and healthy functioning chakras are available to anyone. With easy to learn techniques and meditations your understanding and conscious awareness of your chakras can propel you into living the life you deserve to live.

In Heart Awareness,

Christy and Judy Lynn

TMJ Cure - Stop TMJ Pain for Good

Millions of people are suffering from TMJ or temporomandibular joint dysfunction and constantly looking for remedies to stop TMJ for good. If you are one of these people suffering from this very complex disorder, you know how painful and annoying this condition is.

Temporomandibular joint disorder commonly known as TMJ is a disorder causing dysfunction in the jaw and its movement. There are different factors contributing to the occurrence of TMJ. It is not only physical factor like accidents and injuries but emotional factors like stress, extreme anger and grief could also trigger this very frustrating disorder.

This very complex condition is accompanied by many disturbing symptoms that can reduce the quality of your life. Some symptoms are uncontrollable jaw or tongue movements, tooth clenching or grinding at night, limited mouth opening, pains in the cheek muscles, difficulty opening the jaw smoothly and evenly. These symptoms are so disturbing and you need to stop TMJ for good.

You need to stop TMJ as early as possible. If this problem becomes chronic, it might lead to more serious problems. You need to find the right treatment before the pains and symptoms become unbearable and may lead to other problems like difficulty swallowing, vertigo, dizziness, headache, tongue pain and other upper body problems including the head, neck and shoulder. It is best to consult the doctor to know the severity of your symptoms.

There are treatments to alleviate and stop TMJ. This disorder can be treated with the right approach and remedies. Here are some remedies:

Common immediate remedy to stop TMJ are over-the-counter pain relievers, muscle relaxant and prescribed anti-inflammatory medicines, but you need to be cautious in taking drugs due to the side effects that could lead to other health problems.

Jaw exercises and therapies are also effective for some people. There are exercises designed to strengthen and relax the jaw and the muscles around it to stop TMJ. Heat and cold therapy is also an option to reduce the pains and muscle tension around the jaw.

Some people find relief through dental treatment. A biteplate maybe recommended by the dentist to align the lower and upper jaw and eliminate other symptoms like clenching teeth at night.

Some sufferers consider surgery which needs a lot of thinking. Before subjecting yourself under the knife, you have to exhaust all options because surgeries are expensive and sometimes there are consequences involved which are often irreversible.

Facts About TMJ Disorder

Temporomandibular joint disorder, referred to as TMJ, is a disorder that causes problems with the facial muscles and jaw joints that a person uses to chew food. It is not known exactly what causes the disorder but?grinding of the teeth and wearing braces are often pointed to as causes. Poor posture could add to the symptoms of the disorder. If you sit putting a strain on the neck and face area, this could make symptoms worse around the muscles of the?face and teeth. It can be an excrusiating disorder that is often underdiagnosed.

Symptoms of TMJ disorder include headaches, earaches, difficulty chewing or swallowing, pain in the face, jaw pain, clicking or popping sounds when opening the mouth, inability to open or close?the mouth properly and headaches.?The tests used to diagnose TMJ are dental exams,?hands on joint manipulation, x-rays, and checking to see if there are clicking noises when a patient opens or closes the jaw.

Treatments varies and do not include surgery except in rare cases.?Health care professionals?have found that?patients are often worse off after surgery than they were before, so this type of treatment is not often used.?Using types of therapy is more commonly recommended.?

Applying hot and cold packs on the face, stress relieving exercises, avoiding yawning?or chewing gum,?the use of anti-inflammatory pain medications, muscle relaxants, and corticosteroid shots are some of the treatments applied. Mouth guards have also?been used since 1930 to correct this type of problem and can be quite effective for pain relief. There are several types of splints and the benefits from using them vary from person to person.?