Ah, February. The month of love and hearts. Here in the US, we recently celebrated Valentine’s Day. On this day, we express our affections for others. Of course, this is a wonderful thing to do! But what about giving ourselves love and compassion?

Why does it matter? Well, research has...

At one time or another, you’ve probably come across the phrase “belly breathing.” You might have heard a well-meaning yoga teacher, fitness instructor, personal trainer or even me in my posture classes talk about it! People use this phrase to encourage us to initiate our breath...

It’s that time of year: the hills are white, and the trails are groomed! Time to get out on the snow!

I love winter and the sports it brings! Going from dryland training to skiing or boarding day after day, however, can be a hard transition for your body. Like all sports, sliding on snow...

My last blog, Overcome Fear to Reduce Stress and Heal, was all about fear. I discussed how fear underlies much of our stress. I then explained how stress sabotages good health. Also, I remarked on how the fear we experience often stems from false, negative beliefs. We hold these beliefs below our...

Fear is a risk factor for disease and pain. 

Fear raises your stress.

Stress reduces your ability to heal.

Recall my previous blog, Stress Prevents Self-Healing, where I reviewed the book Mind Over Medicine by Dr. Lissa Rankin, M.D. In her book, Dr. Rankin details how stress...

Imagine that when you look upon the world, the ground seems to be sloping away from you. Subconsciously, your brain perceives, through your visual sense, that you are always going downhill. This is an optical distortion. And this is how I see the world. 

How do you think your body reacts and...

Take a look at the photo above. The person has taken a posture of stress and pain. The body is in an extended position. They have overly-arched their lower back. Also, they have pulled their shoulders so far back that they are behind the hips. Finally, their diaphragm is overly stretched,...

Should I be wearing foot orthotics?
Will they help my joint pain?

You may have asked yourself these questions. And to be honest, I did. After my third knee surgery, I pursued orthotics with my orthopedic surgeon. Although he didn’t seem convinced they would help, he did write me a...

Many of us judge the success of our day by how much we accomplished: “How many things did I check off my to do list today?” This is because our society places great value on busyness. Since we have these ingrained beliefs, you might feel guilty or lazy when you are idle....

Guest Blog by freelance writer-editor and Friend of The Pain Free Athlete, Denise Sessions.

When I heard that prolonged sitting, such as at my desk job, put me at risk for certain diseases, I was surprised. I thought I was doing what I needed to do. I worked out every day, not only to maintain...

Has someone told you to do Kegels? They're supposed to fix many issues, right? Actually, more and more people are telling both women and men to do Kegel exercises in order to strengthen their pelvic floor (pelvic diaphragm) musculature. But does it really work?

For many years, people have been...

Did you see it? Professional golfer Tiger Woods pulled out of the first round of the Farmers Open last month due to back pain. Why? Because of a lack of glute activation. In an interview, he actually acknowledged it.

“My glutes are shutting off and they they don’t activate and then...