Are You Out of Touch with Your Body?

We see people with all sorts of goals at Castro Valley Fitness. They want to move easier, feel more energetic, have less pain, get off or avoid medication. A long and varied list. Oftentimes, though, their biggest obstacle is something they might not realize.

They’re out of touch.  

No, this isn’t about being a Swiftie. I mean being out of touch with their bodies.

This is our biggest issue when it comes to our physical well-being. We simply don’t feel what our body is doing. We don’t feel where our shoulders are. We don’t feel if our hips are moving. We don’t feel if our core is working.

The result of this is simple: pain.  

We’re too quick to blame age when experiencing chronic pain. Age doesn’t necessarily have much to do with it. The real culprit is our lack of body awareness. 

Here’s some simple things to think about.

Where are your shoulders?
This is the biggest problem I see. People’s shoulders up by their ears in a constant shrug. Feeling neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, and lots and lots of stress?
What to do about it.
Breathe deeply into your belly and pull your shoulder blades back and down.
What are the usual problems?

Instead of them moving back and down, they move up in a shrug. Check yourself in a mirror as you try this.

Are you moving your hips?
Too often people move their low backs instead of their hips. Back pain is sure to follow.

What to do about it.
Stand with your back to a wall. Take a small step forward and push your butt straight back to the wall while keep your legs soft and straight. Do not lock your knees. Think of it as pushing back not bending over.
What are the usual problems?
A rounded back. This leads to pain soon after no matter how old you are.

What is your core doing?

This is closely related to your shoulders. People often move in positions that shut their core off and force their neck and low back to do the core’s job. To see what I mean, try standing in a relaxed position. Now shrug your shoulders. Your hips just moved forward, didn’t they? Hips jutting forward = shut off core. 

What to do about it.
Learn to set your core correctly. To do that, push your fingers lightly into the sides of your belly. Using your abs, push your fingers out. Notice how solid your core feels when you do that? That’s how to do it. You DO NOT want to suck your belly in. Add some deep belly breaths to this and you’re on your way.
What are the usual problems?
Going back to your usual patterns by using your low back and shoulders instead.

This can be a hard concept to get, but it’s incredibly important. Let me know what questions you have.