let's make self-care the new health care!

I like to remind myself not to let my health be dominated by numbers (blood pressure, weight, BMI). Numbers are important but they do fluctuate from one day to the next and reflect only one small part of the whole picture. And they can become an obsession, at the expense of things that matter.
I very rarely weigh myself - how I feel is more important to me than the number on the scales.

The quality of what I eat is more meaningful than the number of calories that I ingest! I aim for a variety of real food, food that you find in nature (fruit, vegetable, nuts, beans, meat and fish), avoiding food products as much as possible (biscuits, ready-meals, etc.).

The same holds true in terms of physical activity. I prefer not to focus on numbers too much - distance covered, number of steps, reps, amount of time spent, personal best, etc.  I aim for a variety of natural movement (walking barefoot, squatting, hanging, sitting on the ground, bending at the hip). I'd rather not obsess about how far I've walked or how many squats I did because it can only only be less or more than yesterday or last week, so is not all that meaningful and becomes a bit dull after a while.

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The quality of the experience has more value to me than the number of miles or hours it represents - whether it brought me a sense of peace and happiness: spotting a herd of deer on a hilltop, enjoying a conversation with someone, whether it stimulated my senses:  feeling the coolness of an early morning breeze on my face or of the wet sand on my feet, smelling the heady scent of blossom or listening to the chirpy song of a robin.

The quality of  my movement matters to me as  I want to feel comfortable at work and at play. I teach movement because I know how important it is to be in tune with my body, to pay attention to the sensations I feel and to be guided by them, to understand what my body needs, and not become dependent on (or victim of) the advice of the experts. I want to be the expert on me and I want each and every one of you to become the expert on you. I only aim to be your guide in this quest, bringing your attention to various areas, and to use my knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics to support your efforts.

Squatting at work, adding variety of positions to stay strong and nimble.

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Swinging for the sense of fun and freedom!

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If you work with quality, connecting to one body part at a time, one sensation at a time, you are bound to make progress and end up with a happier, healthier body. You will discover areas that move well, some that move too much and some that don't move at all and learn how your body works - much better than doing the cycle of overdoing it in your workouts, followed by vigorous stretching and getting yourself temporarily fixed until the next time you overload your underused tissues. Movement input needs to be regular for optimal health of bones, soft tissues, organs, all the way down to our cells!  And it needs to involve all the muscles in your body, not just the same few.

I enjoy helping people really connect to their body so they can live happy, pain-free lives. I've designed the ​Virtual Treatment Room with that aim in mind, targeting one part of the body at a time in different contexts (lying down, sitting, standing and walking) with precise, easy-to-follow instructions, so you understand how each part is designed to articulate and where you might want to focus your attention.  If you value the quality of your movement and your health, you will enjoy being part of this project. 

Self-care can become the new health care! It can and it must if we want to lighten the burden of our health services. It is my wish through this blog and my Virtual Treatment Room, and together, we may well make it happen!