Perfect Posture? Not as important as function (and a few BAO Updates)

The month of love is upon us! Now I'm not too crazy about the commercialized version of Valentine's Day but I do like to use this month as a chance to treat myself to some great self-care and self-love. 

With that theme, I would like to bring up this crazy idea of perfect posture. It is archaic in my opinion, sometimes I think it even is another commercialized opinion designed to sell you a bunch of equipment and dodads that promise a perfect spine or better alignment. 

For so many years I struggled with low back pain despite all of the things I tried or bought. I ended up getting X-rays and it was found that I had a congenital abnormality that my last lumbar vertebrae is partially fused to my sacrum. So all these things I was doing were based on the idea that I had 5 fully functioning lumbar vertebrae. This is when I started to realize that my posture had to be different. It is estimated that at least 10% of people have some sort of spinal abnormality, some researchers suggest that number might be as high as 50% of the population. 

Now this information is nothing to be afraid of or should you rush out to get x-rays. The reality was that it was a fluke chance that my spinal abnormality was even noticed. And it doesn't affect my life that much once I got rid of that notion of perfect posture as I'm no longer forcing my spine to do something it can't do. I think we should focus on function rather than the visual form of your body. 

There are many ways to gain better function but these are my favourites:

Flexibility and Strength

I love yoga but any regular stretching program will help immensely. Move your body in whatever ways you enjoy. Make sure you are trying new activities that challenge your body. You want to strengthen weak muscles to create a better infrastructure. If your aren't sure how to do this seek out a professional. Having a personal trainer or attending classes with knowledgeable instructors is worth the investment.

Receive Massage (or some type of manual therapy)

As a massage therapist I have to put this on the list! But massage has numerous studies showing its effectiveness in treating pain and increasing flexibility. I love to give feedback to my clients to help them understand what is happening in the body so that they can be empowered to know what they can do to help themselves. Body awareness is a huge benefit of massage therapy that rarely gets talked about. The more you understand what is happening in your body the better you can deal with it. 

Give Feedback and Ask Questions

No matter which practitioner you are seeing; Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, Doctor or Massage Therapist give feedback. We all know what we are doing but we can not know exactly how it is feeling for you!! This is SO important. I say this at least once a day (and I will say it once again just so you know how important it is) - I know what I am doing but I do not know how it feels for you. It is true for any practitioner. Don't worry about letting us know if something bothers you this feedback is how we grow and learn as well. 

Focus on the function

Don't worry about what your body looks like instead think about how you want your body to function. Do you want to be able to touch your toes, be able to go a week without a headache, or go up a flight of stairs without knee pain? Let those function-based goals be the driver. And let your therapist know of your goals so that they can support you.

What's New at Our Clinic
We are now offering Yoga at our clinic! 

We are very lucky to be adding Andrea to the Wintersweet Wellness Team. Her values and deep commitment to understanding the human body made her an easy addition.

She is currently offering two yoga classes on Saturdays: 

Gentle Flow at 10 am
Yin Yoga at 11:15 am

Her classes are designed for all body types and experience levels. The class size are kept small so that she can properly assist every one as needed.

The fee for each class is $10 - this was also very intentional. We at Wintersweet deeply believe that financial accessibility is essential. 

If you have any questions or would like to attend a class, you can email her at andrealbrownrmt@gmail.com or you can find her on Instagram at @all_things_andrea_brown

Book Nook

We have started a book nook! Because what is better than a new book after a massage! You are welcome to take a book or bring one at any time. It is located on the landing as you make your way up the stairs. 

Beeswax Candles
The wonderful folks at Fisher's Farm Natural Goods brought in a assortment of locally made candles and some beeswax. These are locally harvested and made with a great of love and intention. They are simply to adorable! Check out some pictures below

I've saved the best for last... 

I have combined what I think is the most amazing two treatments - Foot Reflexology and Hot Stones! From February 1st to 14th I will be offering a 60 Minute Hot Stone Foot Reflexology Treatment for $50. You can book this online using the Schedule an Appointment Button on this email. 

After this time all Reflexology treatments will be increasing to $70. 

See you on the massage table, 
Jennifer