Hurt Hip from a yoga stretch

One of my students said he hurt his hip from a yoga stretch. Why?

Yes, you can stretch in a wrong way that's not conducive for progressing your body.

First he's tall and has not had a long history of regular stretching. He was reaching for his hip stretch, the piriformis figure 4 stretch and his legs are too long for his arms to reach. So he strained his shoulder and was tugging at his legs aggressively. He also has a history of back pain. Often tight hips and thighs are related to tight back. Having multiple parts that are tight make opening a stretch more difficult. FORM IS EVERYTHING. If you don't know how to put yourself in the right form, you're not going to get the right stretch. Believe me, I've hurt myself before in stretches so I can sympathize!

STRETCHING TIP #1: Never cause pain. Stretches should feel like you're pushing your limits but the "ache" should be TOLERABLE not painful. Be gentle---don't jerk or tug at any body part. Especially be mindful of listening to your body messages. If your knee or other joints hurt, perhaps you need to loosen something else before you do that particular stretch.

STRETCHING TIP #2: If you don't know how to do the stretch, especially in a group class, ask the teacher to come help you. You might need modifications. Also tell the teacher if you have a history of some kind of injury or chronic pain so that the teacher can give you the right modification.

STRETCHING TIP #3: Modifications are not wimpy---it's meeting your body where it is at. Always have a towel -- like a hand towel -- available for wiping down your sweat, providing a head rest, or for using it like a yoga belt. You can use the towel like a yoga belt to help you reach when your arms can't reach.

MOST IMPORTANT TIP! Breathe, imagine a balloon of air helping you loosen the area that feels stubborn---don't push on stubborn but use the breath to help you relax. INTERRUPT this pain cycle with breathing: Fear of pain causes you to forget to breathe. Not breathing causes pain. Stretch with curiosity, not fear.

NUTRITIONAL TIP / FUEL TO SUPPORT HEALTHY MUSCLES: Like most of us, you might not be eating enough greens and foods that give you enough magnesium to support healthy limber muscles. Magnesium is an essential mineral needed, and deficiency shows symptoms like tight muscles or headaches. Also, you're probably also deficient in potassium, which Dole Foods did a great job of advertising for bananas but coconut water is much more powerful to help you fuel healthy muscles (including your heart!). While fresh coconuts are always better, I buy my coconut water by the case so I don't run out! If you're not sure you'll like the taste, the ones flavored with pineapple or mango are tasty! Drink a couple servings with a meal every day to ward off tight muscles and muscle cramps. While I try my best to eat foods high in magnesium and potassium, it's easier for me to go with supplements and coconut water so I know I have a decent baseline each day. I don't want muscle cramps to limit my activities or ruin my sleep!

Intro to Weight Loss

I've been getting inquiries to start a new weight loss group, so here is some introductory information:

1) A conference call recording that tells you the components of the nationally-successful program that provides great education, and as your coach, I customize it to help you meet your health goals!

2) An educational video that helps you understand LEPTIN and GREHLIN -- a great example of how much you'll learn about the FACTS of healthy weight loss instead of the wildfire myths of crash diets.

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There are weight loss student testimonials on my website if you want to know more.

MamaStrength Workshop: Art + Mind-Body Movement

Check out our new MamaStrength workshop! For pregnant moms and new moms!
Creating the Life You Want as New Mom
Sat March 27 1pm-3pm in West LA.
I'm combining my mind-body movement expertise with art therapist Naomi Tucker.
Can't wait to see all the smiles and moments of "aha!" from the students.
RSVP today for your raffle to the door prize. Awesome door prize has goodies with a combined value of over $100!

Easy ways to sleep better

Ok, some of you workaholics just won't be able to get *more* hours of sleep. However, you can sleep better for the hours you are dedicating to sleep.

1) RELAX YOUR EYES: NO TEXTING IN BED
Leave the bedroom area for relaxation. The brain really does associate space to tasks. One hour before you go to bed, stop the electronic stimuli. That means, stop checking email, texts, TV. Your eyes are tired and over-stimulated already by the bombardment of eletromagnetic stimuli from the computer and all that you do for work. Leave work behind and give yourself an hour to wind down. You can play mellow music, but nothing that you associate with work. Relaxing the eyes also helps to relax neck and shoulder tension.

2) REMEMBER HOW KIDS HAVE A BEDTIME STORY? CREATE A BEDTIME RITUAL.
Create a bedtime ritual. Start by planning backwards. Brush teeth, other bathroom tasks, decaf calming herbal tea, lotion/massage tired feet or crampy calves. Lavender lotions (preferably essential oils and not perfume) also have the benefit of calming.

3) CHECK YOUR NUTRITION: HOW DID YOU EAT?
Did you eat a full day's meals? Sometime you work so much, you forgot to eat lunch or dinner was too small. Don't eat right before bed, but check in with yourself in the evening after dinner to see if you need a small protein+carb combo snack. Don't make the mistake of eating crackers and feeling hungry in the middle of the night. If you eat dairy, try yogurt with fruit and nuts. Or try whole grain toast with almond butter. Or a small bowl of veggie soup (the fiber helps slow down the digestion and the warmth helps make you sleepy).

Did you know that 3 out of 4 American adults are calcium-deficient? Calcium-rich and magnesium-rich foods help relax the muscles so you can sleep better. Don't want to eat, but need a boost of calcium+magnesium to calm down the tense muscles? This is a calcium supplement that gets absorbed in 5 minutes on an empty stomach. Many of us also don't eat enough greens and are magnesium deficient, which not only shows up as tight muscles or maybe even headaches. You can take care of this deficiency with a magnesium boost. And if you've been flying between time zones or have had an irregular sleep schedule that needs to be re-regulated, L-tryptophan is really helpful -- well-loved by nurses who do over-night shifts or people who have had bad sleep due to allergies or noise disruptions. This formula of L-tryptophan really helped improve sleep and boost the mood of one of my weight loss students so that he had the energy to exercise!

4) RELAX THE BACK (and neck and shoulders)
Relax on a foam roller. This is the number one exercise toy I ask everyone to have at home. Every other exercise equipment you can use at the gym. This one is so popular, that the foam roller I lent a friend actually left town to go to his mother's house 2 hours away!
When you're too tired, the muscle tensions wound up in the day just find it hard to unwind. Used by physical therapists and Pilates instructors for core strengthening and spine alignment, all you have to do is take 2 minutes: 1 minute to lie on it (doing deep belly breaths) and 1 minute to lie on the mat to let your body feel supported in the newly relaxed position. The tension you carry into bed with you sometimes gets more wound up as you sleep, so why not let it go before you go to bed so you can sleep better!

5) CAN'T STRETCH OUT THE TENSION? EPSOM SALTS BATH TO THE RESCUE!
I admit, sometimes my calves are tight, or my hip flexors are tight, and my stretching gives me some relief but it doesn't do the trick. Epsom salts to the rescue! I buy a big stash of Epsom salts to fill up my under-the-sink cabinet. You want to pour at least 2 generous cups of salts into your water to saturate your bath with Epsom salts (=magnesium sulfate)--so that you can absorb that Magnesium into your muscles, and all those hard-to-get places can loosen up. BONUS--if you've been stressed and constipated, epsom salts bath will also help relax your gut and move things along. Salts can be bought at the dollar store in LA, pharmacies everywhere, and if you have lots of storage space, I've heard the gardening stores keep them on stock to help tomatoes grow.

6) STILL WORRIED? LET IT GO BY WRITING and TURN OFF THE "MONKEY BRAIN"
Worrying doesn't get work done. So leave the worries behind by writing it down. * By hand.*
Typing doesn't have the same release effect as handwriting your list of things you're worried about. Most things can wait for tomorrow. Turn off the "monkey brain"--yes that's the brain that spins its neurotic or repetitive wheel. Visualize a happy beach or park or your favorite relaxation spot. Your brain is powerful so go ahead and take command to train your brain to help you sleep better, more relaxed. You'll make smarter easier decisions when you are well-rested. Let your body reset well, and it's easier to be leaner and healthier.


More info on sleep is available from the National Sleep Foundation.

photo credit: Shoichi Shingu (www.purplepen.com)