Tune Up Fitness® Self Care Blog

2010 has been a tough year for many. People are working harder than ever (if they are lucky enough to have a job) with less pay, fewer benefits and uncertainty about their job security. It has truly been a stressful grind for…

Plantar fasciitis can usually cause heel spurs or bone spurs to develop in the heel.  The way that bone spurs occur is when the bone growth extends from the heel bone or the calcaneus due to the plantar fascia being repeatedly…

Heel pain, whether caused by plantar fasciitis, heel spurs or other types affect an estimated 2 million Americans every year. There are several ways to alleviate this pain that are offered commercially, but one great way is to learn how to create healing for yourself by knowing what to do with your body.

When there has been repeated microscopic tears at or near the attachment of the plantar fascia and the calcaneus, inflammation and pain is what occurs. What you may be suffering from is plantar fasciitis; this condition is caused by an inflammation in the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot that holds your bones in place.

I had heard stories about Glenn Black for years. Many, many stories, that all highlighted two things about the legendary yoga teacher: he was tough (“he made us hold Navasana for 5 minutes!”) and he was mean (“he made fun of this girl who couldn’t do it!”). Needless to say, during my years on the East Coast, I wasn’t exactly seeking him out as a teacher.

This may be heretical to say, but for a while now I’ve been feeling that most “classical” asana were profoundly out of touch with the needs of my all-ages contemporary students who sit facing computers all day, drive in cars and do not fully use their bodies for their livelihood. Did classic postures truly speak to their needs, their bodies, and to the stresses that faced them?

With yoga’s enormous popularity, injuries are occurring more than ever. If we hope to enjoy a pain-free lifelong practice, then we must take some precautions. All teachers and practitioners must educate themselves about what the poses are doing physically to a body.

Clients come to my massage office with a myriad of complaints.  From the avid triathelete who is striving to stay in prime condition for the big race, to the super mom who juggles her workouts, kids, home life and career, staying…

A trigger point is a nodule or knot of contracted muscle fibers embedded within a band of a muscle like the trapezius. These points can be exquisitely tender when palpated or compressed and can even refer pain to other areas of the body. For example, pressing a trigger point in the shoulder can refer pain into the neck or head.