Tune Up Fitness® Self Care Blog

When the Beatles wrote “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” in the coquettish year of 1963 they were not singing about the flexor digitorum superficialis, but this extrinsic flexor muscle, a master puppeteer of the fingers at the proximal interphalangeal joints and crucial…

“You are only as flexible as your… ribs.” These soft-spoken words from the mouth of my teacher gave my brain a little jolt. Up until that moment I had only heard spine as the end of this phrase, a cliché classic…

Me: Exhale to squeeze all of the air out of your belly and lungs. Student: Pffffffffffffftt. Me: Great! Now keep your belly engaged and take a deep breath in. Student: (Holds breath for a few seconds) Is that even possible? Me:…

Marcus was a client of mine who came to me for Pilates classes.  However we did very little Pilates and focused on his acute lack of flexibility, through mobility and yoga.  He wore very high heels for work every day (yes…

The hamstring group of muscles is part of the posterior chain of the hip/ leg.  They are not as large as the quadriceps on the anterior side of the body; they have more length to them and are more tubular than…

“Low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide”[1] Back pain affects 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives[2], and on average health care expenditures for individuals with back pain have been estimated to be…

Despite the heroic title of this blog, for the better part of two years pain was the boss of me. I hurt in multiple places and as a movement professional it was embarrassing. I kept saying to myself: “I’m a professional,…

My love for yoga began with a vinyasa class at a small studio in 2005. The fast paced rhythm and exercise provided an outlet for the athlete inside of me, and harmony of movement offered me tranquility and stress relief. It…

The pectoralis minor is an often problematic muscle that lies deep to its better known companion the pectoralis major. This lovely muscle originates at ribs 3,4, and 5 and inserts on the medial surface of the coracoid process of the scapula.…