Corefidence

I am so excited to be offering Pilates through Lifemark Physiotherapy. Starting March 24th, 2021 I will be available for both personal sessions and group classes. Upcoming virtual classes include: ... Level 1 - Reconnect, Reawaken and Strengthen your entire body with a special focus on core strength and pelvic health. Level 2 - In this class we take it up a notch. Continue to strengthen your entire body with more challenging exercises using weights and resistance bands. Mom and Baby Core and Conversation - A 40 minute postpartum Pilates class followed by 20 minutes of conversation. For more information please check out www.corefidence.com To register for a class or personal session please contact Lifemark Physiotherapy 940 Jamieson Pkwy unit B1 1-866-584-8569.

What should you look for when shopping for shoes? Unfortunately when we walk into most shoes stores we are surrounded by traditional shoes that are designed in such a way that through regular wear they can contribute to a whole host of unpleasant symptoms within the body. Backpain... Pelvic Pain Urinary Incontinence and prolapse Bunions Headaches and jaw pain So much more. Our feet function best when there is 0 interference from footwear (barefeet). Traditional shoes can create a ton of interference and consequently dysfunction throughout the entire body. We want shoes that create little interference (minimal shoes). Now there are situations where the features of a traditional shoe may be helpful such as medical conditions, injuries and certain activities, but we want to spend as much time as possible with as little foot interference as possible. So what should you look for when shoe shopping? 1)Wide Toe Box - Allowing toes to space out and do their thing. 2) Flat - No heel or toe spring (most traditional shoes have a heel) 3) Flexible - Allowing our feet to move. 4) Attach to feet - Think flipflops. We have to grip our toes to keep the shoe on creating an over activation of muscles and impacting gait. 5) Little to no cushion - When we can't feel the ground beneath us we can become less stable and efficient in our movements. Now these tips are not meant to replace medical advice and of course are not all appropriate for everyone. Also, if trying out minimal shoes for the first time, it is best to go slowly with the transition from traditional shoes to minimal. Don't throw on a pair of minimal shoes and go for a 10km run. GO SLOW. It is also a good idea to incorporate foot, glute, hip and core strengthening exercises during this transition period. One of my favorite minimal shoe brands is XERO which is what I am wearing in the video. There are many other great brands as well. Reach out if you have any questions.

In a few weeks will be joining the team at Lifemark Physiotherapy (Jamieson location in Cambridge, Ontario). I will be working as a Physiotherapist Assistant and Pilates Trainer alongside an amazing group of Physiotherapists, including those specializing in pelvic health. I am so excited about this new adventure and know this is a place I will not only grow as a pelvic health and movement professional, but where I will witness amazing growth with my clients as they will have easy and available access to a multidisciplinary approach to achieving optimal core strength and pelvic health. Stayed tuned for further details regarding classes and personal sessions.

#thethingskidssay

Is the word "Try" a word of weakness? I was recently speaking with someone about over coming a recent state of burnout. At one point I responded to a question by saying, "I am always willing to try new things that I think may better my health" I was shutdown so quickly by her response, which was "try is a weak word". I was a bit taken a back by this response and after thinking about it for the rest of the day, realized, I 100% disagree. ... To me the word "try" is a word of strength. When we try we make ourselves vulnerable to failure and that requires bravery. I also believe that it is ok to fail. We cannot expect ourselves to succeed at everything we do, this is unhealthy and unfair. One of the best examples I can think of to demonstrate the strength of the word "try" is, last year my son's hockey team lost almost every single game. Many of these games were not even close. Despite the loses, every single kid would show up to the next game and try again to get a win, which of course isn't always reflected on the scoreboard. They continued to try and lose and try and lose, never giving up on themselves and growing as not only hockey players, but as human beings. They became more and more resilient and learned to see success in the "failures". There was so much pride around this team and their strength and ability to keep trying, which eventually led to some close games and a win. They tried and by doing so demonstrated strength and courage, not weakness. I have so much I could say about this topic, but I am "trying" to keep it short. Trying is not weak. Trying makes us vulnerable, showing courage and strength. Sometimes we fail and that is ok, we can learn a lot from failure. Sometimes the failures are just a part of the journey to our success. Success often exists within failure. There is nothing weak about trying. Keep trying.

What this means is that no fitness, rehab or wellness program can fix you. YOU ARE NOT BROKEN! In my experience this feeling of "being broken" can be very common for many women, especially postpartum women or women entering or well into menopause. Life experiences and trauma can also contribute to this feeling. Sure, things might feel different. You may be dealing with pain, injury, or imbalances and on a road of healing and recovery. Maybe you are experiencing a whole host... of emotions, such as; grief, anger or sadness. You may be on an unfamiliar journey. You may feel scared, weak or uncertain of who you are or your capabilities. BUT YOU ARE NOT BROKEN. You are not a lost cause. You are, even if it doesn't feel like it, Strong as F*ck. You are capable of many things, and healing is one of those things. You are not fixable, because, say it with me, "YOU ARE NOT BROKEN". There may be parts of you that may feel weaker or look different. You may be dealing with symptoms you have never experienced before like incontinence, anxiety or back pain. But let me tell you, you have the power to make changes, you really do. How do I know this? Because you are not broken. You also have the power to embrace parts of the transformation. Many of the new things about you are not evidence of something that is breaking, but they are proof of your resilience, strength and accomplishments. They are a part of your story. How do I know this? Because, you are not broken. And because you are not broken, you are capable of many things, even the things that scare you or that you feel are impossible or too challenging. Things you are "too old for", "too out of shape for" or "too weak for". As I was writing this I thought about the little cup, Chip from the movie Beauty and the Beast. Yes, he had a small chip around his brim, but that chip was not a weakness and it did not need to be fixed. It was a part of him, his character, his story and his name. And he was pretty darn cute. The chip didn't slow him down or change who he was. It was just a chip in a perfectly functional cup. He was not broken and neither are you.

Today I go back to school. Well kind of. Today is day one of a four month Restore Your Core Teacher Training. I am so excited and ready to learn.... I cannot wait to see where this experience takes me. I cannot wait to learn and grow as a movement professional and likely a person. I cannot wait to share what I learn with clients, helping them to feel stronger, safer, more empowered and confident in their bodies. I also cannot wait to see what I learn about my own body and how this educational experience impacts my own health and wellness journey. HERE I GROW!

Are you a belly sucker inner? I am. But I am really working on it. Actually since paying more attention to how I am holdng my abs all day, I have noticed a little less abdominal definition. This isn't a bad thing as my constant need to suck in or grib my abs was creating a bit of oblique dominance which gave me a little extra definition. ( I basically use my obliques to suck in, which can actually created a lot of forward pressure into the belly and can make your belly... look bigger. It can also be a contributing factor to Diastasis Recti. I think many of us have been taught to believe a flat stomach, abdominal definition and seeing muscles or bones (like ribs) is a sign of strength or health or fitness, but this isn't always the case. It can also mean a weakness or a dysfunction that can be improved. Why is being a belly sucker inner (totally a clinical term ) bad for our core and pelvic floor? Think about a full tube of toothpaste. What happens to that tube of toothpaste when we squeeze it in the middle? The contents are pushed both upward and downward creating a lot of pressure towards the lid and towards the bottom of the tube. Now imagine your belly is a tube of toothpaste. When you squeeze it or suck in you can shift excessive pressure both up towards the ribs, making it harder to breath and increasing the risk of a Hiatial hernia, and contributing to upper back, shoulder and neck pain and/or down towards the pelvic floor increasing the risk of prolapse, incontinence, pain, hernias and Diastasis Recti. Basically when we suck in we are creating excessive pressure in our core system and making it really difficult for the core to work as it should. So please whether you are sucking in to look skinnier, as a way to stabilize your body or maybe in response to stress. Work on noticing if you are in fact sucking in and then work on allowing and teaching your abs to relax. Stay tuned for a future post where I will share some techniques I use to release abdominal tension. #showoffyourbelly

New 6 week virtual Pilates classes start this Wednesday! Level 1 - Wednesdays at 6:30pm Level 2 - Full Mom and Baby Core and Conversation - Wednesdays at 10:30am... These classes incorporate elements of Pilates and Yoga. They are designed to help participants feel stronger, more connected and confident in their bodies. Sign up today! www.corefidence.com link in bio

Join me for Pilates starting January 27th, 2021! Level 1 - Wednesdays at 6:30pm Level 2 - Full... Mom and Baby Core and Conversation - Wednesdays at 7:30pm. 6 week sessions $72 Registration includes access to over 50 prerecorded classes of various levels and styles and exercise tutorials. Strengthen your entire body with a special focus on core strength and pelvic health. Improve mind body connection. Relieve stress Feel more confident in your body. Feel more energized and comfortable with daily tasks. Improve aches and pains, pelvic health concerns, Diastasis Recti and more. Register at www.corefidence.com link in bio.