Psoas; Wicked Little Muscle!

Don't even try reading the tiny words!

 

    

Okay, maybe "little" isn't the right word. "Wicked" on the other hand...


 The psoas (so-az) is a muscle that contains many mysteries. But this muscle plays a serious role in movement and stabilization. The name psoas represents two muscles, psoas major and psoas minor. Psoas minor is present in only 40-50% of the human population. What! That's a pretty wild fact. I haven't come across anything that indicates if this is gender specific occurrence.

What I have come across though, in reading articles and surfing the mighty web, is that the psoas is often ground zero for lower back pain, hip pain, all kinds of pain! This I know from personal experience. That's why I'm so darned fascinated and interested in this muscle. Human anatomy is pretty interesting anyway, but in this case, a necessity. To understand how to retrain and reshape a muscle, joint, what have you group, you've gotta know a little about how it works.

My knowledge is limited at best. I'm hoping to change that bit by bit.

I came across this website; Learn About Psoas Muscle Pain & Psoas Release Techniques by Barry Krost.

There is a wealth of knowledge on the site as well as many links. Geek out at will!

Here's some quick and dirty about "Our Friend The Psoas".

The psoas primarily flexes the hip and the spinal column. Think lifting your knee for hip flexion and rounding your back for spinal flexion.

Because it is a flexor for the hips and thighs it is a major muscle for walking.

The psoas is part of a group of muscles that effect the hips and back.

The psoas is part of spine twisting and moving the pelvis in all sorts of ways.

The body of each psoas (it's on both sides of the body) contains, on average 11 branches of muscle fibers. Each of those branches has a connection. That's a total of 22 connections! One on each thigh, on the femur, and 10 along the spine. The highest is at the lowest thoracic vertebra and the rest along the lumbar vertebra. Compress much?

The psoas has two layers of muscle, superficial and deep. Embedded between those layers is a bundle of nerves that communicate with everything in the region; hips, thighs, abs, pelvic floor.

There is also the whole emotional element to the psoas. It is really one of the main muscles in a "flight or fight" situation to react. There is evidence that some traumas may get stored in the psoas, causing it to stay tight and reactive. I'd like to touch upon that in coming posts. I know for myself that whenever I get a massage I find it nearly impossible to be worked on in that area. No matter how comfortable and relaxed I am, I will cringe, stiffen and get a horrible "tickle" response.

So many opportunities for something to go seriously wonky! To make matters worse, excessive sitting is a major shortener of the psoas, thus making everything TIGHT!

I plan to learn more and more about the psoas. And how I can learn to move better, more efficiently and hopefully pain-free! I hope to share as much as possible for your journey as well.

I've ordered some books that I saw mentioned on the website I put a link for above.

The Psoas Book by Liz Koch.
and
Psoas Release Party! by Johnathan FitzGordon.

Should be for some interesting reading.

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the dance that is life!

I'm Now A Zumba™ Affiliate!

 

I am now a Zumba affiliate for Zumba apparel! So what does that mean exactly?

Well, it means that by using a special code that is mine as a member of the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN) I can pass along savings to friends, family, students, or whoever uses it really. By using the code, customers can save 10% on their Zumba wear purchases! I earn a percentage from the purchases when the code is used as well. Win, win!

So how does it work?

Go to zumba.com

Click on the "SHOP" option along the top menu.

When you have made your selection or selections and you are ready to checkout (after each item is added to your cart an option to "continue shopping" or "checkout" pops up) a window will appear that asks for any coupon codes, and below it one that asks for an affiliate code. That's where you are going to type in my code

mserinzfit

 

It's that simple! Of course, if you have additional coupon codes to use on the first option type them in as well.

 

 

My affiliate code works on sale items as well!

There are some restrictions; DVDs, video games and gift cards are excluded. If someone is a ZIN and they are shopping as a ZIN, that's also excluded.

Now for some tips when shopping for Zumba clothes and shoes.

Read the reviews for each items you are interested in ordering! This has helped me immensely in the past. Don't just read one or two either. While I have always found my Zumba wear purchases to be of excellent quality and can hold up to many wearings and washings, they aren't cheap money wise. Probably because they can put up with a lot of wearings and washings! They are on par cost wise with many mid to higher end fitness brands. But still pretty affordable.

Often reviewers will have listed their age range, as well as mention within their review their height and body build. Reviewers are also a mix of Zumba enthusiasts, students and instructors. Bust size is really helpful as well. For someone like me who is small chested, when I read a review like "I'm a 38 DD and this sports bra held up great through a 3 hour Zumba workshop and I looked super sexy in it!", then that particular sports bra might have way more material than I need and will not fit well. Let's say I come across one that reads "I'm 5'4" and not very big up top, but this sports bra has a really flattering cut and is super comfortable", then I'm all over it!

Reviewers will also usually share whether a particular pair of cargo pants is too long for their body type or is too tight in the crotch. As well as if an item is true to size. Is the medium really a large. Or maybe the reviewer was swimming in the large and would have been better off with a medium. The accuracy of size is super important when looking to purchase footwear.

I bought some Z-Kickz II many months ago and I absolutely love them! Reading the reviews helped me pick the perfect size for my feet.

There is a sizing guide as well, but who wants to go hunt that darn measuring tape!

Think about the fabric as well. I bought some cute yoga style sweatpants a few years ago. It was at a licensing workshop, so no reviews to read. They were way to thick to ever use in a class, unless I was planning on dancing in a freezer. They were even too hot for just lounging around. So think about what you will be doing in them. Check the lock first if you plan on dancing in any freezers!

So if you are looking to add some fun Zumba wear items to your wardrobe or you want to get something for a Zumba lover, now you have a way to add a little extra savings!

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the dance that is life!

What A Thrill!

Thrill The World 2012 was last Saturday, the 27th of October. I had never participated, watched or learned the dance. But back in September I thought it would be a fun dance to learn, bit by bit with my Zumba class.

Well, bit by bit we made one heck of a team of Zombie dancers! I posted back in September that I got by with the help of some friends.

We had so much fun! The sense of team spirit was amazing. I was so honored that people who had never done something like this before, or at least not in a long time, were willing to follow me into this Zombie adventure! I may have been their fearless leader (Ha!), but they gave me the courage with their enthusiasm, spirit and dedication! A definite team! I'm so proud!

I really started feeling some serious excitement when we met up with the other TTW Chico groups. Then it was time to Zombie walk over to the performance location. We, over 200 of us, literally stopped traffic as we crossed the street in Zombie mode. Zombies are slow!

Awaiting us were crowds of family, friends and eager audience members as well as videographers and photographers. TTW is an international event!

Ready to load up and head over to Beauty Queen Central.

I had so much fun doing the finishing touches of getting ready at my friend Melanie's house. A group of moms and their lovely Beauty Queens, as well as a pretty cool dude, really got into their Zombie Zone! Thank you Melanie for sharing your beautiful home with us riff raff!

Even as the "Undead", our Zumba crew couldn't miss one another!

So much fun getting into character!

Performing with the big group of both friends and strangers was a blast! And with a cheering crowd!

Next year? Oh yeah!

Now that I have dipped my toe in, I want to go bigger! I'm hoping next to be more involved with the TTW Chico organization (granted that they need my help) as far as helping with rehearsals and teaching the dance.

You with me?

Hope so!

Have a fun, happy and SAFE Halloween!

Enjoy the dance that is life!

Thrill The World Day Is Only 12 Days Away!!

  Austin, Texas 2008

I don't where from where, but they got their Zombie on!
Chico 2010!!




That's right! Thrill The World (TTW) Day is less than 2 weeks away!

I've mentioned before that this is the first year I have ever attempted to learn the dance or to even think about participating in the international event.

For those local to the Chico, California area, here's the link for the Thrill The World Chico website. The event happens Saturday October 27th at 12noon.

The link above and the links below will give you all sorts of info, including ideas and tips to really get your Zombie look dialed in!


For visuals and tutorials on how to learn the official Thrill The World "Thriller Dance",click here for the Video Clips. Clip 39 of 40 is my favorite, as it does the whole dance with the instructor's back to the viewer (easier to follow along) and the cuing voice over with the music.

For the dance script,click here for the full text of the Dance Script. Having words that go with your moves really does help. I used to make up songs about variations and dance pieces when I was younger for when I would practice them in my head when falling asleep at night.

What's the fun of dance without some music! For the original Thriller song to a cuing version,click here, and you should be able to find where you can download a track (actually I think there are a few tracks at different speeds) of "Thriller" w/ the cuing voice over.

So the "dance script" has a word for each movement. To help myself sort of remember all the sections with their many movements, I wrote out a sort of condensed version. Once you feel comfortable with all the moves in a segment, then you can start clustering those segments into sections.

For example:

Zombie March

(forward) right left right left
(take-it-back) right left right left
(to-the-front) right left right left
(take-it-back) right left right left


March Booty Swim

(forward) *shoulder step nothing step *shoulder step *shoulder step
(back) *shoulder step nothing step *shoulder step *shoulder step
(step) booty bounce (together) booty bounce
(step) booty bounce (together) booty bounce
swim together swim jump (hold)
swim together swim jump

*use your RIGHT SHOULDER

Shuffle Ha Slide

shuffle back hop hop forward
turn look stare stare
down ha down ha down ha down ha
down clap slide slide slide stomp and shoulders look left
down clap slide slide slide stomp and shoulders and prep

Hip N’ Roar

right hip right hip right hip in out
left hip left hip in and roar
walk walk roar-turn roar-turn roar-turn
walk walk roar-turn roar-turn
jump and land circle
shake-it-and-a-uppa and a shake-it-and-a-uppa
stomp stomp stomp look left
walk left right left and turn

can be grouped together as;
Z March
March Booty Swim
Shuffle Ha Slide + Hip n Roar
So on and so forth.
You can copy and paste and print out as a little cheat sheet for when you practice. Sometimes just holding a silly little pieces of paper with notes on it can give me all the confidence I need!

I hope you find it useful!



Z March
March Booty Swim
Shuffle Ha Slide + Hip n Roar
________________________________________________________________________

Wuz Up

_________________________________________________________________________

Shuffle Ha Slide + Oh Snap Rock On + Head n Shoulders

__________________________________________________________________________

Stomp
*down 2-3-4 rise 2-3-4

__________________________________________________________________________

Shuffle Ha Slide + Oh Snap Rock On + Head n Shoulders (x-tra prep)
*Down 2-3-4 rise 2-3-PREP
__________________________________________________________________________

Hip n Roar

___________________________________________________________________________

Z March
March Booty Swim
Shuffle Ha Slide + Wuz Up

____________________________________________________________________________

Z March + Stomp + SCARE!

Enjoy the dance that is life!

Hips Don't Lie; Mine Are Tight!

I've got me some tight hips. Tightness in the hips affects the lower back, and from there all kinds of other things can get outta whack! So getting those hips opened up and stretched out becomes vital.

I love rolling on my Trigger Point GRID (I'm going to go to a tptherapy Smrt-Core workshop later this month. I'm super excited, so expect more on this topic!). I can tolerate getting deep with a lacrosse ball and my fascia (more on that to come as well). I stretch, do dynamic stretching (pre-work-out/warm up) as well as static stretching (post work-out/relaxation/peace out time). Do I do them on a consistent basis conducive to repair and proper body wellness maintenance? Uh....What was the question?

I've got to get serious! I want my hip and lower back health to take a front seat. The Prince Charming of Physical Well Being mostly likely is not going to gallop up on his trusty steed, Pain Free. Time to start smacking butts with my broom and send Step-Mom Cra Cra to mediation. Okay, enough with the fairy tale references, 'cause Dudes, I'm talking to you as well!

First, a video of someone who knows what the hell they are doing;

http://www.everydayhealth.com/hip-pain/yoga-for-hip-pain.aspx


Now, a video from someone who knows considerably less; the first stretch shown is gentle and a great place to start. The second stretch is a bit more aggressive. Approach with caution.

I believe the seated yoga stretch pose that I do in the video is called The Fire Log.

To bad I didn't save the footage of me switching to do the pose on the other side. It was pretty funny, in a kinda sad way...

Yoga, yoga, yoga...got to get me some. Get you some too! There are many different styles, find the right one for you. Look around for a qualified instructor or peruse the numerous products available for home use.

More to come. Maybe I'll even get my knees and feet to touch!
Wishing you happy hips!

Enjoy the dance that is life!

Pelvic Floor and TVA Exercises.

I was asked a few days ago about what exercises would be good for strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor.

Well, the crowning champion of pelvic floor strengthening exercises is the Kegel, especially for women. For more info on what Kegel exercises are, what muscles are employed and how to perform them, click here.

I've included a video with a couple of exercises that I think are useful. They not only target the pelvic floor, but the transverse abdominis (TVA) as well.

From Wiki;
The transversus abdominis muscle, also known as the transverse abdominus, transversalis muscle and transverse abdominal muscle, is a muscle layer of the anterior and lateral abdominal wall which is deep to (layered below) the internal oblique muscle. It is thought to be a significant component of the core.

In the video I use a hand gesture to indicate the TVA going across the pelvis, like a lap belt. The TVA doesn't actually run in this manner. I guess I've always thought of it as kind of a strapping down muscle when activated. Because the TVA runs under other muscles of the abdomen it fires everything up when engaged. So ignore my hand gesture, or use it as a mental reminder of activating the TVA.

I hope you find these useful.

Enjoy the dance that is life!

It's Monday Morning. What Diet Did You Wake Up Next To?

Soooo, I don't think I'm presenting a foreign scenario;

Its Monday morning, and one of the last thoughts of the night before was perhaps, "Okay, tomorrow I start that diet. I've really misbehaved this weekend, but come tomorrow things are gonna change."

Yikes! Why even go there Miss Erin? Monday mornings are enough of a pain to get through!

Last Friday morning I had a delightful and enlightening conversation with a friend of mine who also regularly takes my morning Zumba class that I teach 3 mornings a week.

She had asked me what I eat for breakfast normally. I've actually been asked that question many times, although mostly on mornings that I get a little wild in the energy department. Aside from that, I often think breakfast is sometimes how we set the pace/successes vs. failures of the rest of our day and our relationship with food. Ohhh, there it is. Our relationship with food.

Food, or rather fuel, is necessary. Food is comfort. Food is connections, whether with friends and family or culture, often both.

Food can also be a form of poison or a form of medicine. It can work against one's journey for health and wellness or help to pave the way.

Okay, back to the conversation.

I told my friend what I normally do, the reasons why and blah blah blah.

Our conversation started going in the direction of how choices are made often times by what relationship we are in with our "diets".

Maybe we have a relationship with a diet that is very demanding. You must do exactly this, in this amount at exactly this time.

Or perhaps you're in a crazy whirl wind adventure, where you trick the pounds away before your body realizes that you are majorly screwing with it!

Whatever the name or gimmick it always seems to be the same mess that you wake up to. Sure, it was perhaps new and exciting at first. The smell of optimism intoxicating. But a two week "crash" relationship does not make for a lifetime of security, confidence, trust and enlightenment. Pretty much the opposite.

If you think about a "diet" as someone that you would want to build a life with, the mundane and everyday as well as the glory of shared years, what would you look for?

Restrictions and unrelenting, as well as possibly unrealistic, demands?

False promises? A quick fix (one even quicker to come apart at the seams)?

Or rather;

Loving, nourishing and reasonable.

Realistic, with room for meeting your needs as an individual.

Doesn't take your intelligence for granted, but holds your hand with enthusiasm for the journey of discovery.

Not just for a couple of "shocking" weeks, but for a lifetime.

In my opinion, one's relationship with food should be one that is realistic, nourishing, custom-fitting and flexible, with spaces for both exceptions and hard limits (example; frozen yogurt/ice cream Tuesdays means so much to my kids. I'm having me some fro-yo or ice cream on Tuesdays. Gluten, no, not ever. At least not intentionally. Sorry Grandma. I love you, but I'm not eating a piece of that cake).

Am I perfect in all that I do food and nourishment wise? Um, hell to the no! Do I see my shortcomings as exactly that and not a reason or excuse to, pardon the cliche expression, throw the baby out with the bath water?  I've learned to in the last year and a half.

Oh, and let's rethink cheating. You don't cheat on something you are in a loving relationship with.There are treats. And those treats should not be followed by punishments. You go out with your buddies a number of nights or get tied up with projects, maybe you then focus on setting aside time with your loved ones (spouse, kids, what have you). You partake in foods you normally avoid, just make better choices for a number of days that follow to get yourself back on track. Its a journey! Not a race or competition.

Now comes the hardest part.

Finding the "one". The right "one". I'm talking lifestyle, which includes diet, exercise, stress management and adequate sleep (that one is a real bugger for me personally!).


So far I haven't talked much, if at all really, on this blog about nutrition (okay, maybe a little with links to Mark's Daily Apple, Everyday Paleo and I'll throw on a couple others, PaleoNonPaleo and Wellness Mama). But for the last eighteen months or so, it has been an important part of my family's and my journey of health and wellness.

As far as relationships with food and diet...oh, I've had my bad times.

Perhaps at some point I will post more extensively about that journey (successes and, dare I say it...failures, which should really be read as struggles).

So our conversation basically came to the conclusion that how one views food and nourishment should be held to the same standards as a lifetime commitment type of relationship. Don't settle for less than you deserve! You are worth the time and energy to find what works, and I mean what works for the long term, the everyday, both the good days and the bad.

Oh, and about starting fresh come Monday morning; screw that! Changes can be made any day of the week at any hour. Your sink is dripping Thursday night, you don't wait till Monday morning to fix it. Get on it now. It's not a house fire. You can safely make little steps, anytime.

Favorite breakfast; eggs scrambled in coconut oil served with half an avocado.

Enjoy the dance that is life!