My Blog

The Path To Wellbeing

What Are You Afraid Of - Can You Handle It? feel the fear and do it anyway susan jeffers the pain free athlete May 25, 2013

 

Do you fear. . .

 
Injuring your body or suffering pain while participating in sports or activity (e.g. cycling, walking, cooking, weight lifting, gardening…)?
 
Losing your job and having to relocate?
 
Being last or not finishing an athletic event you have signed-up...

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What Causes Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps? May 22, 2013

Although frequent and sometimes debilitating, exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMC) have been poorly understood by the scientific and medical community for years. Many of the theories about EAMC have been from anecdotal evidence, not controlled studies.

 

Dehydration-Electrolyte Imbalance...

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Injuries are Opportunities - Making the most of your time off the bike bike heal yourself healing and injury mountain bike mountain biking self healing self-compassion the pain free athlete training May 15, 2013

Please enjoy this re-print of an article I wrote for mountain flyer magazine a few years back, original article.

 Lying on the couch with fresh stitches in my thigh, as the ice pack begins to drip, my head is spinning from the pain medication. The sun is shining and I can see the...

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Strength Training for Better Posture: Shoulder Shrugs exercises for shoulder pain posture alignment posture exercises resistance training strength training training May 08, 2013

Use your time in the gym to improve your structural alignment, not ingrain poor posture and compensated movement patterns.

Starting Position

  • A staggered stance (1-2 feet apart) accommodates wider hips and larger dumbbells.

  • The head, shoulders and hips are vertically aligned with the belly...

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Develop Autonomous Sports Skills to Stay Injury Free functional training skill strength training the pain free athlete training Apr 25, 2013
When standing on the free throw line preparing to make the game winning basket you don't want to spend your mental energy on the mechanics of throwing a basketball. The same is true for paying attention to your pedal stroke during a 100 mile road bike tour. In these situations you want to have...
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Transform Your Life with Supportive Affirmations heal heal yourself healing chronic pain self self healing the pain free athlete Apr 22, 2013

Your thoughts and internal dialogue creates your reality and influences your attitude, behavior, and outcomes. Take a moment to notice what is going through your mind right now as you start reading this article. You might be saying … I really should be working and not reading this...

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Myths of the Aging Physical Body alignment chronic pain heal yourself healing chronic pain healing pain self-discipline Apr 17, 2013

The messages you hear about aging and your physical body are very negative, provoking fear and dread of advancing years. You are bombarded with ads about drugs, surgery and the latest technology that can make you younger. Aging is inevitable! How you age though, is within your control.

What do...

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Strength Training for Better Posture: Assisted Pull-Up functional training resistance training strength training the pain free athlete training Apr 09, 2013

Use your time in the gym to improve your structural alignment, not ingrain poor posture and compensated movement patterns.

Starting Position

  • Hand position on the bar is wide enough to create a 90 degree angle from the wrist to the elbow to the shoulder at the top of the exercise.

  • Linear line...

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How Are You Meeting Your Needs? heal yourself self self healing self-compassion the pain free athlete Apr 06, 2013

As human beings the outcome of all our actions is to meet our emotional needs. The motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, reminds us that we have everything we need. It is the way we go about achieving our needs that can be empowering or destructive. Often these needs reside on a...

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Does it hurt to run and play? alignment heal yourself healing and injury posture alignment posture analysis posture exercises the pain free athlete Apr 03, 2013

In case you missed my article in the Los Alamos Daily Post it is reprinted below.

Sports and exercise shouldn't hurt. For many of us, though, moving our bodies creates symptoms of pain. Consequently, the circle of activities available to us shrinks and we move less. And the less we...

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Overcome Stress by Invoking the Relaxation Response autonomic nervous system parasympathetic relax stress response sympathetic the pain free athlete Mar 28, 2013

 
The Stress-Response and Relaxation Response are opposite pathways of our autonomic nervous system. When one is engaged the other is inhibited. The Stress-Response activates the sympathetic nervous system while the Relaxation Response empowers the parasympathetic nervous system. The image...

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Flow Experiences, the Zone and Optimal Performance alignment exercises health goals outdoor activity skill the pain free athlete Mar 19, 2013

Flow is the state of optimal experience when the body and mind are pushed to the limit to complete a difficult task. It is these moments that bring us happiness and fulfillment in our lives.

Flow is an intrinsic experience of our own making that is not dependent on outside factors. It is a source...

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