Balloon Letting go is hard. In my experience, it is much more difficult to coach someone to postpone participation in an event than to continue ahead with strenuous training. I've also struggled with this personally. Consider this . . .

July 15, 2011 - It is the day before cross-country...

As I neared the top of the initial 1.5 mile climb on the Caldera 10 km run course, I found the aid station. I slowed to take a cup of Gatorade. And that's when she passed me. Oh Crap! I had no idea another woman was so close! But I had to hydrate. The next section of the run consisted of...

The diaphragm has a dual role in the body: respiration and posture. When these actions occur simultaneously, we improve our core stability. This is particularly evident in the lumbar spine. My last blog, My Low Back Hurts Because I Can’t Breathe, described the diaphragm’s role in...

Did you know that respiration (breathing) and back pain are intimately linked? News to me! A 2006 study found that "the presence of respiratory disease is a stronger predictor for lower back pain than other established risk factors." And "clinical observation supports the notion that patients...

It has been over a decade since I've been backpacking due to injury and fear of pain. I am happy to say that my husband and I went out for a successful night last weekend to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. Backpacking can be added to my list of can do activities, Yeah!

Although my body...

Can you...

Complete 50 abdominal crunches in one minute?

Squat 2 times your body weight?

 After reading those two sentences, are you feeling unfit right now? Well, I am! These, however, are just a few of the assessments that some people  commonly use to determine fitness level. If you...

It's now the end of March, which means basketball madness. 68 teams start the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament, and in just over three weeks, we have a champion. Clearly, the stakes are high in every game. The loser goes home in the single elimination format. These games provide a great...

I continually want to provide you with tools to help you take care of your body and reduce your pain. However, that's not as easy as it sounds. In other words, I know that not every approach is going to work for everyone. So, having a variety of options is essential in healing. Here's one option....

It's ski season, in some parts of the country anyway, which means Nordic ski racing for me. As I am about to embark on the biggest ski race of my career this weekend, the American Birkebeiner, it is good to remember to keep perspective. Please enjoy this piece I previously wrote on the topic.

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When was the last time you showed appreciation for your body and all it does to support and move you? If you are like many, you've had a ore negative tone during recent conversations with your physical structure. Perhaps you've heard yourself expressing resentment for your pain. Or, you've...

In my last blog I described the relationship between anterior pelvic tilt, lengthened hamstrings and shortened hip flexors. Additionally, an anterior tilt can lead to excessive curvature in the spine. This is because the lower back increases its arch while the upper back rounds more to balance...

Well, that seems like a silly question with an obvious answer, right? Wrong!

When we stretch a tight muscle, we make the assumption that the muscle is tight because it is shortened and needs to be lengthened. However, this is not always the case. Actually, a muscle can also be tight because it is...