To ice, or not to ice? This is a question that is being discussed regularly among many athletic trainers, physical therapists, and other specialists, including Yoga Tune Up® Instructors. When I first heard about this debate my initial (totally uninformed) thought…
Ah, it’s almost summer time, and during the warmer months of the year we tend to go barefoot more often. That’s good news for the bones, muscles and tendons in our feet because, being shoeless, they’ll get the chance to spread…
Want to get a grip? Then grab a pair of the most popular kind of minimalist shoes, flip-flops, and put them on your feet. Now walk, and feel the flexors of your ankles and toes grip, literally. Meet your flexor digitorum…
How do you know if your gastrocnemius needs some attention? The short story: because we all neglect this muscle. The gastroc is one of the most-used muscles in the body, and it tends to be a mess of adhesion and tightness.…
The gastrocnemius has two short heads that extend halfway down the leg where they taper into the calcaneal tendon. The gastrocs give your lower legs their characteristic teardrop shapeliness. The gastrocnemius and soleus muscle form the “triceps surae,” but while the…
The inspiration for this pose came from watching Dr. Kelly Starrett’s Mobility WOD Bone Saw video. Ankle Churning helped with mobility, but I wanted another level of release especially using the Yoga Tune Up® therapy balls. As you watch, please excuse…
As a runner, pain just seems to be given. I recovered from a serious illness last year and got right back into my running routine. It felt good after being shut-in for so long, but pain quickly got the better of…
As discussed in my last post, an unhappy posterior tibialis can lead to a whole host of problems, including fallen arches and heel bone deformity (yikes). To prevent and/or help to correct this, use your Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls to…
The deep lying posterior tibialis is the most central of all leg muscles and is the key stabilizing muscle of the lower leg. So you would think it would have a much higher profile in all our movement classes. That is…
Whether meandering across a sloping yard, feeling the soft sand on a barefoot beach stroll, or hiking the gravel path through the park, it is our peroneal muscles that keep us moving smoothly on unstable ground. During foot push off, they…
