Clear Point Wellness

What is good posture?

Team Members Of Yore — Wed, 13 May 2015 23:20:48 +0000

New clients often ask me to analyze their posture or teach them ‘proper posture’. This is actually a complicated question because we are not 2D characters on a poster, we move 3 dimensionally. You can correct or hold your body in a certain posture but then the second you take a step, that will change. Assuming a certain posture also depends on what we’re feeling and thinking–our body responds to these things. If you slept poorly last night or if you’re grieving, your body will likely reflect that. Whereas if you are wearing your new outfit you love or can’t wait to meet up with a friend later, your body will show this.

In short, posture is organic and constantly changing. That said, I do have some tips on how to shift your body. Check out my definition of ‘good posture’.

Shannon
Helping you find effort with ease…

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Improve Your Posture!

Team Members Of Yore — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 13:48:14 +0000

In this 21st century, we all spend too much time hunched over a screen or a steering wheel. If you look at yourself in the mirror, do you notice that your shoulders are pulled forward or rolled in? Maybe you suffer from chronic neck tension or are fully aware of your head constantly pitching forward.

Stretching the shortened pec muscles in the front of the chest may give us some relief, but for lasting change, chronically distended muscles need to be reengaged. Toning the upper back muscles passively stretch the shortened pec muscles. This exercise strengthens the upper back muscles, correcting and improving posture. Sexy shoulders await you!

Shannon
Helping you find effort with ease…

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Calf and Hamstring Stretch

Team Members Of Yore — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:28:34 +0000

We have another great Ki Hara calf and hamstring stretch this week–this one simultaneously stretches your foot, calf and hamstring (back of the thigh). Another Ki Hara threefer! Ki Hara is a unique stretching modality because it stretches muscles as they’re being activated–this leads to the actual muscle elongating like taffy, creating lasting change. This stretch also elongates the fascial/connective tissue line which helps to offset long hours of sitting and walking on flat roads. You’ll feel more flexibility return to your ankles, knees and hips. Remember to breathe!

Shannon
Helping you find effort with ease…

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Back Stretch=Improved Posture!

Team Members Of Yore — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 15:47:05 +0000

Most of us spend long periods of time in more or less the same position for our jobs–this could be sitting behind a computer, standing behind a counter or hunched over a table. As a result, our backs get tight and stiff making it difficult for us to really change our posture.

This exercise is an easy way to reset the spine and improve your posture. All you need is a little open wall space.

Enjoy increased back flexibility!

Shannon
Helping you find effort with ease…

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Exercise Your Brain

Team Members Of Yore — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 14:05:50 +0000

Can’t remember things like you used to? Memory loss with age is something that many of us are afraid of, myself included. We do crossword puzzles or online brain training because we’ve heard that these things keep our brain healthy and active. But, both of these activities preclude us to more sitting and looking down at a book or screen, which we already do most of the time. The brain is a part of our body, so it gets exercised and benefits from movement just like every other part of our body. Movement also helps to cut down on stress which can also affect brain function.

I change my movement and exercise routines every few months to keep my brain challenged and my ego humble. A few years ago I started swimming for the first time in my life and was amazed at how much harder it was to breathe on one side. Last year, Zumba reminded me how to move my hips and just have fun. This month tap classes are proving that my balance and coordination can use some serious help. Each week I try to fit in 4 different types of movement: Zumba, Pilates, tap classes, TRX, Barre, and swimming mixed with long walks around Town Lake. Movement is just that–it does not have to be ‘exercise’. Maybe you garden, restore furniture, play with your kids, commute with your bike…what are some of your favorite ways to move?

Two Guys On Your Head on KUT inspired me to write this post. Listen to their recent podcast on How to Protect Your Brain as You Age.

Shannon Rashap, CPT, M.A. Ed.
Helping you find effort with ease…

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Eyes Around Austin: Knee Locking and Back Pain

Team Members Of Yore — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 19:06:21 +0000

Last night I treated myself to a facial (LOVE) and chatted away with my aesthetician about her persistent back pain. Chiropractors and massage therapists have helped her in the past, but the pain always returns. I looked up to see her locking (hyperextending) her right knee and putting all of her weight on the outside of that hip. This is a super common stance I call the sassy hand on the hip that mostly we women do. I also see this posture a lot in moms and anyone who is a regular caretaker of children. Putting all of your weight on one leg isn’t wrong, but locking your knees changes the angle of your pelvis and makes your low back very unhappy.

Feel this in your own body:

Stand sideways in front of a mirror and soften your knees. Then, lock the knees or push the knee caps backward and watch how your pelvis tilts forward and your rear sticks out. Repeat this a couple of times and you will really see and feel a difference. Also notice that having your pelvis tilt so far forward pooches the stomach out whereas soft knees allows for better posture and maybe a more slender profile.

If you like the sassy hand on the hip stance, great, but modify it a little, tiny bit so you don’t irritate your back over time.

-Don’t lock or hyperextend the knee creating a leg that is really a stilt–keep the knees soft and use your core.

-Center your weight over the leg that is straight rather than popping all of your weight to the outside of the hip. If you are holding a child in one arm, this is challenging, but you will be improving your core stability.

Small differences that will still reflect your personality without hurting your back! And, you might start to see new muscles over just a few, short weeks!

Shannon
Helping you find effort with ease…

The post Eyes Around Austin: Knee Locking and Back Pain appeared first on Clear Point Wellness.

Are standing desks better?

Team Members Of Yore — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 20:36:51 +0000

I get asked this question a lot and my usual response is that the research clearly states that standing as opposed to sitting for 8+ hours per day is far better for our health. Most recently, the New York Times wrote an article citing 2 studies that conclude that sitting less is better for our DNA cells (in one study the DNA actually become younger for those who sat less) and helps us to live longer.

My opinion, as someone who specializes in helping people restore positive movement patterns, is that standing is great but it may not fix your body pains. Prolonged sitting, especially with poor body posture, can be a root cause of many of today’s common musculoskeletal complaints: low and mid back pain, neck and shoulder tension, sciatica, knee problems and foot pain. This is why I love working with the pelvic floor, the deep stabilizing muscles at the base of our pelvis. These muscles can weaken or even atrophy over years of sitting because the chairs we sit in sub in for our natural musculature. Reconnecting with these muscles improves all of the pains earlier mentioned as well as breath and balance. So, moving from a sitting desk to a standing one without the help of these muscles may improve your longevity but not your back pain.

Shannon Rashap, CPT, M.A. Ed.
Helping you find effort with ease…

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What is plantar fasciitis?

Team Members Of Yore — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 16:35:56 +0000

Many of us suffer from severe pain in the soles of our feet, otherwise known as plantar fasciitis. Until recently, experts thought inflammation in the connective tissue, or fascia, of the feet caused this pain. However, more research is coming out that this painful condition is a result of tight muscles in the calves and feet as opposed to inflammation in the body. This is an important distinction when you consider that reducing inflammation would require steriods or anti-inflammatory pills/shots to improve the pain versus some daily stretching.

A study on runners suffering from plantar fasciitis mentioned in a recent New York Times article reviewed 2 different types of stretching regimens and their effectiveness on plantar fasciitis. The study tested a stretching technique similar to what we perform at Clear Point Wellness called eccentric stretching, where a muscle is active the entire time you are stretching it. The control group in the study performed traditional stretching where the foot is just pulled back with a strap. After 3 months, the active stretching technique proved to be more successful in healing plantar fasciitis pain than traditional ‘touch your toes’ stretching as I like to call it.

For more information on the types of active stretching we do at Clear Point Wellness, check out our videos!

Shannon Rashap, CPT, M.A. Ed.
Helping you find effort with ease…

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Shoulder Rotation Exercise

Team Members Of Yore — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 12:33:27 +0000

If you look at your shoulders in the mirror, do they appear to be rolled in? Check out the side view–rounded upper back? Do you have neck pain? Do you work in front of a screen?

If so, this week’s video will help strengthen your upper back to pull your shoulder blades back where they belong, your back and not your ears. Feel your posture immediately improve and your chest muscles relax and passively stretch by externally rotating your shoulders. This is a personal favorite in my ‘sexy shoulder series’. Give it a shot!

Shannon Rashap, CPT, M.A. Ed.
Helping you find effort with ease…

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Hip Abduction and Rotation

Team Members Of Yore — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 20:00:03 +0000

Tight hips? You could be weak in the abductors–the leg muscles that lift our legs out to the side and that help with balance. It’s a movement we don’t do often, but those muscles help to stabilize our pelvis when walking and running.

When weak, they can be a culprit for low back pain as well as knee pain. If you tend to be knock-kneed, you are weak in this area. If you have tight hips, your rotational muscles aren’t moving in their full range of motion so doing this exercise will help those open and loosen. We also tend to have one side that is weaker, which affects how we put weight on that hip, which impacts our balance. Here is a quick exercise to keep those muscles strong and hips open!

Shannon Rashap, CPT, M.A. Ed.
Helping you find effort with ease…

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