When I see people trying to sort out their pain, I see them making their lives harder. Doing core exercises. Correcting their posture. Going to endless appointments to be fixed. This is what I did for a long time too. I was following advice. It was stuff that ‘made sense’, but it was always more […]
It is easy to get stuck in the serious business of trying to relieve your pain. Like: Training one abdominal muscle to fire more quickly ‘Correcting’ your posture. Doing a exercise you hate because it is supposed to help. But how do mammals learn best? Through play! Getting out of pain* involves a lot of learning
I was talking about pacing the other day to one of my lovely clients- and was struck that it seemed to mean ‘cutting down on the fun stuff’. It seems that the way that pacing presented by some physios/Drs etc can be that way too: “Stop moving in that way that aggravates your pain” “What
I was reading a post from a reward based horse trainer the other day (I don’t have a horse, but I love watching happy horses enjoying their training) This trainer wanted to improve her jumping position, but was struggling. It’s all over in a moment, so it’s tricky to make changes! So, she applied her
The topic of pain is rife with myths and legends. One of the biggest is that of core stability, or core strength. In fact this one is sticking around so persistently you could call it a zombie myth. If you have had back pain you will have had exercises for your core recommended. If not
In the pain and fatigue and wellness world we love an analogy…. These always seem to involve kitchen items for some reason: spoons (see here) or cups.None of these are perfect at explaining what’s going on in something so complex (you!), but they can assist us to understand how to help ourselves. What’s in Your Cup? We
Have you made a New Year Resolution? My resolution time is generally in the summer when there isn’t the excuse of cold and the desire to hibernate, so I’ve had a while to work on mine! I started couch to 5k. If you don’t know it, this is the NHS app that cheers you on
The most pleasurable activities in our lives are those which are really absorbing, ones where you lose time. And that’s great, we don’t want to stop doing these things: they are the best parts of life! However, that absorption can mean that we stay still for too long, or overdo it and suffer the consequences.
This blog was provoked by comments I have seen online recently – someone with a chronic condition, fibromyalgia, was really distressed by colleagues making comments about how she was coping with her condition. They were suggesting she go to the gym – the implication being that this would “cure” her pain. This woman just couldn’t
