As of 2018 forty-two percent of Americans were Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is an interesting vitamin because we actually have the ability to synthesize it. The catalyst for this is sunshine directly on our skin. Other than sunshine most Americans get their vitamin D from fortified foods. There aren’t many naturally occurring foods that are high in vitamin D.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Ben Smith
Take Control Of Your Feet – Exercises To Strengthen Your Feet
Feet are the foundations of your body. They have almost as many nerve endings as your hands. They should be strong, capable, and resilient. Unfortunately, that isn’t the reality for most of us. Modern footwear deforms, compresses, and restricts our feet to the point where few of us have natural foot function by adulthood. Today I’m sharing some things you can do to take control of your feet.
Continue readingWhy Should You Practice Getting Up From The Ground?
I’ve done several videos talking about techniques for getting up off the floor, but I don’t think I’ve covered the why yet! What an oversight!!!! Today I’m covering why, even if you aren’t elderly or infirm, you should practice getting up from the ground.
Regular practice of movement skills is essential for maintaining your ability to perform them when needed. We sometimes only consider that with more advanced techniques like pull ups. However, it also applies to more overlooked techniques like getting off the floor.
Everything is a perishable skill, including things we think of as givens. In cultures, like much of Asia, where people regularly sit on the floor, the elderly are much more capable of rising from and sitting on the floor. It seems silly to many, but it’s an unfortunate truth the many, many people not only fear falling to the floor but could be seriously injured in the process.
As I cover in the video above, it’s much better to practice a skill regularly than try to recover it once you’ve lost it. Losing the ability to get up and down from the floor safely is a life altering problem!
Back Pain While Walking? Stop Using Your Back!
So many people experience back pain while walking. Odds are good you’re one of them. You’re in good company. It often happens to me too! I’ve been tracking down the culprit and a couple days ago I made a discovery. I was doing a somatic exercise, one I’ve done many times, and noticed something new. I was using my upper back to control my right hip.
Continue readingPandiculation to Release Tight Neck And Shoulders
If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of time at a desk or behind the wheel of a car. There’s a good chance you suffer from a tight neck, upper back, and shoulders. Today I want to share a pandiculation to release tight neck and shoulders.
Continue readingTrigger Point Self-Massage For Dental Pain
About a week and a half ago I had an unsettling Saturday night. I had dental pain, facial numbness, and burning running around my eyes and down the back of my neck. After my aunt’s death last year from a tooth abscess, my mind went down a spiral. I promptly motored off the to ER. However, at the end of my time there, I was told there was nothing wrong. In fact, they had a hard time understanding why I was even there. I had a dentist’s appointment in a few day. Maybe they could provide me with more answers.
Continue readingFix Your Posture With This Calf And Foot Release
I love techniques that are simple and approachable. They’re even better if they require little to no specialized equipment. That’s the exact kind of thing I came across the other day in the Anatomy Trains book. You can really fix your posture with this calf and foot release!
Continue readingEliminating All My Pain – Start At The Beginning
Last year, 2020, was the year I planned to eliminate all of my pain. You see, I’ve been in some kind of constant pain for probably 20-25 years now. Between athletics and the military, I’ve just learned to push through it. That, however, doesn’t do much to address the underlying issue. There is a time and place for pushing through pain. That time and place is not all day, every day.
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