Pondering Movement

Sometimes I have a breakthrough discovering how to get my body to do a particular movement or hold a particular position. At those times I get shocked as to how much of a disconnect there is between what I think I should do, what I actually should do and what I actually end up doing. Sometimes the first two are in line with each other, but getting the third part to agree seems to be a major challenge. I frequently think I need Physical Special Ed. Maybe that's why I've never been able to hit the volleyball. Who knows.


Last night was a classic example of my disconnect & that's what got me thinking about it again. I use gymnastics rings sometimes and ever since I was a little kid, I have flipped myself upside down, hung from the rings & put my legs straight up in the air. More or less, it's a handstand without the hands. I have NEVER been able to do a handstand. Theoretically, they should be the same as long as you have the strength in your arms. I take that back, the center of mass relative to the pivot point is different, so you have slightly different torques and control issues. Anyway, I tried to do a handstand in an Acro class last night & I could support myself upside down. The arm strength was not, apparently, the problem, but I couldn't stay upright without people holding my legs. Then someone came by & said "tighten up your stomach & squeeze your glutes." That piece added up to being a heck of a lot more stable. Apparently, I was letting my mid-section be all loosey goosey. No wonder I couldn't balance. You'd have just as much luck balancing two things that were connected by jello. I must be used to keeping that form because otherwise I'd have the same problem with the rings. I think the mitigating factor is that with the rings you hang and my arms do that pretty well, so I can kinda ignore them. Here, pushing, supporting myself, that's "new", so I subconsciously focus on my arms & forget about everything else. fail.

Also, I have problems if I have to move one bit at the same time as the other... hands and feet, or even right-hand, left-hand. When learning piano I preferred syncopated rhythms which are "harder" because it was easier for me - at any given moment, you're usually only using one or the other. Ballroom dance (social, not competitive) works well because you kinda "lock in" your arms (bad way to describe it) and focus on moving your feet in particular ways. With Rock Climbing, you typically only move one foot or one hand at a time. (I avoid dynamic moves). In parkour, most of the vaults are hard for me to process because it requires both hands and feet in synchronicity. Ponder, ponder....

Sorry. Might not be interesting to anyone else, but it's just something I'm pondering. Hope the disconnect starts to go away the more different things I do.

Graceful like a Rhinoceros

I have to tell you.  I'm back to doing Parkour & Loving it, but it's a very humbling experience...  Anyone who's seen me dance or who's seen me in Exuberant Animal...  you won't believe me, but I'm a Klutz, lack all semblance of grace, and moving is very hard for me.  It takes me considerably longer than most, it seems, to figure out how to get my body to move the way I want it to.  Hence, 70% of the parkour lessons involve me standing there and staring into space with a sour expression on my face while the other 30% is me actually moving.  Seriously.  The staring off into space bit is me trying to figure out A) what I'm doing wrong and B) how to fix it, but mostly I just look frustrated.  At least it's a very humbling experience and I've only managed to come away with one shin gash & a knee bruise (correction: massive knee bruise) so far, so I think I'm ahead of the game.  I need practice.  Lots & lots of practice.  I'm essentially in "special ed" when you give me something new to do.  Just to learn to dance I needed to repeat everything over and over and over again.  Once it's in muscle memory, I am golden.  This is what I hope to get from Parkour is that when I'm older I will go to stumble & fall and instead catch myself &; prevent catastrophe.  Or maybe if I'm ever being chased, I will know instinctively how to get over, around or up something to save my butt.  These are my hopes.  Now to practice.  : )  Someday I will not be moving like a rhinoceros.  Just not today.  Or tomorrow....  Or probably not next week either.  Ah well.

The fallacy of "big is beautiful"

There has been an emphasis in the media lately of being anti-stick-thin-models and pro "normal" models. Just today I found a slideshow from TODAY that screamed "Big is Beautiful!" On the surface, I agree. I think we all need to get more realistic about body image and realize that not everyone is the same, not everyone is a size 00 and not everyone will wear a dress exactly like it is in the hanger. Somehow, as an average woman who's been big and who's been little and who struggles with body image regardless.... somehow I see this all as a farce . Like a three-ring circus act (with the exception of that one model who posed nude a few weeks/months ago - she and the spread were classy and real). I feel like someone in the media is playing around with the concept to try and appease us to make us feel as if we're being catered to... for now. Here's one generic problem I have: the reaction generally is to counter too-thin by using plus-sized models. I don't have an issue with that, other than it seems like going from one extreme to the other. How about we display a wide range of body type? Secondly, and this is a gripe that I find particularly related to the slideshow (go see it now if you haven't), I don't like the fact that they've taken plus sized models and made them do exactly the same thing as the too-thin ones. Study the pictures... Most of them has been put into an outfit that is clearly too tight/small for them, making them look bulgy when they really aren't. Muffin top is not natural. It is only a product of clothing that is poorly fitted. It makes me sad. I comment on this particularly because I just spent this past weekend at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and walked into one room and was stopped dead by the beauty of a painting... the beauty of this painting by Frederick Carl Frieseke:

It may not look like much on your computer screen (something seems to be lost to me here...), but I highly recommend that you stop by to visit her the next time you're in town. She's beautiful. The painting is beautiful. Something takes you about the human form. She's not a tiny woman.

While searching for this one, I also found a collection of nudes by Kenyon Cox, my favorite being titled Indian Summer. I am in love with his portrayal of the female body because each of his works is quite obviously a real woman. They are put in pastoral settings and given a mythical air, but they are far from being air brushed.

Just my thoughts... take from it what you will. These are good examples of how to show real women.

Cat-a-tonic

I've not been sleeping 100% well lately. I find myself stretching in my sleep - a friend came up with a good analogy: like a cat does. That's it. Just like a cat or dog.... I'm sleeping and then I fully extend everything as far away from my body as possible, get a good stretch, roll over & go back to sleep. I wouldn't much mind since it feels good, but I keep waking myself up by doing this several times a night. I wonder why. Am I turning into a cat? If so, will I be allergic to myself? Is that why I've been sniffling? Or is that because my Autumn Allergies are starting up?...

Oh, and I really can't wait for the Run Like Hell 5K in Cincinnati (Oct.30)!!! Should be fun! and tomorrow I will be starting to make headway on my fairy costume. Goodie. I've decided to be a woodland fairy because A) it'll be fun & artistic to make in a manner that it looks beautiful & dramatic as I run, B) I can use it for the MD Renaissance Faire, C) since I've taken to the trees & woods with my running, it seems very fitting - plus, it'll be a hoot to do my RLH dress rehearsal practice runs through the woods with the other joggers/walkers thinking I'm nuts. : ) Yay!

Barefoot & hopeless... let's go back to the drawing board.

Yesterday, after figuring that I'd better get a biomechanical check-up (aka chiropractic visit to see if everything's in the right place) before I continue to embark upon a total movement regimen, I went to my Chiro. In addition to the normal re-evaluation, I had them do another foot scan. I know my toes are stronger and I'm able to support myself climbing in VFFs where I wasn't able to two years ago. I also know my ankles are stronger because it took 4.25 miles on semi-rough terrain to get the same old ankle soreness that I got when I started running. As a result, I was hoping I'd see some sort of empirically significant change in my foot structure. Judging from the scans, I'd like to think I see some slight, slight improvement, but I'd have to say it appears to be a wash. There was a pretty colored pressure depiction too, and if you go by that, I've totally slid backward and become completely flat footed, but there is not enough difference between the two scans to validate that, so I'm prone to thinking something in the calibration is off.

This got me to thinking though... the arguments for barefoot training being pro-foot-muscle frequently have to do with the nerves and touch receptors (or whatever you want to call them) in the bottom of the foot reacting to the things you are stepping on and then triggering a muscle response to pull that portion of your tender little footsie away from the sharp rock. I wonder if, while running in my VFFs, I've strengthened my toes and ankles, but not gotten as much benefit in the foot because the sole of the VFFs dampen a lot of the sharp pointy things that I step on. Walking on gravel in VFFs is DEFINITELY more pleasant than in true bare feet. I think I see another experiment in which to use myself as a guinea pig!

Part of this all is that I am a scientist. The concepts and theories behind the arguments pro-bare feet make sense to me in physical and biomechanical sense. I really want some solid evidence to back it up though. I'd like to have a before and after to support my statements of "I believe this to be better for my body." Guess I'm off to go play in some gravel without shoes.... tomorrow... or the next day. Today I just want to run through the woods with abandon again. : )

Causal Fridays and Barefoot v. Minimal Shoes

Ok, so I just had a total geek-out on my way up the elevator this morning... Today is Friday - for many, Casual Friday. How easy it is to switch letters and change the meanings of words.... Then I thought: "If you just shift the U, Casual turns into Causal. What would 'Causal Friday' be like?" I hope J doesn't read this otherwise he might be ashamed to know me. ; )

Also, I gave some thought this morning to barefooting some more... I mean, I'm sure you all know that I run pseudo-barefoot in my Vibram FiveFingers, but I've eschewed shoes for as long as I can remember. Indoors? barefoot. Running around outside playing as a kid? barefoot as much as I could get away with. Heck, I've always preferred to buy shoes such that I can at least slightly feel the cracks in the sidewalk when I'm walking. It feels weird to me otherwise. So since I've started running around in the FiveFingers more & more, I've been feeling it in my joints when I go back to 'regular' shoes. I feel the shift in my joints and alignment. Or rather, I'm aware of them... Odd. as a result I am now trying to buy my shoes with as flat and thin a sole as possible and as flexible or roomy as possible (It totally goes against all financial sense to pay for as little as possible...) The thing that is intriguing me right now is that even in minimalist shoes, I do not ambulate in the same manner. Barefoot or in my VFFs, I walk lightly and lead with my toes, touching down the forefoot or midfoot first and then compress into my heel. With my minimalist flats, I still find myself landing on my heel and it feels very awkward to try and walk in a different manner in them. I need to ponder if it's because my brain has been "programmed" for so long to walk in a particular manner with shoes on (then one would think it'd translate to the VFFs also) or is it more that the construction of the shoes does not lend itself well to having a natural gait while keeping the shoes on my feet? I need to go contemplate.

Another random thought for the day: I passed a car on the highway yesterday that had 3 wheels - one in front, two in back. Sorry, I did not have my camera for once. It looked brand new. It had a curved windshield, sides, looked like a 2 seater, was TINY, had a normal steering wheel, and a roll bar. It appeared to be a convertible with the top down. Anyone know what that was? I tried to check out the make & model while driving by, but the words were all long, in tiny print, and a script-ish font. What kind of marketing sense does that make????

Another Diet Shift

I just got back from a 5 day MovNat (Natural Movement) Seminar with Erwan Le Corre and will discuss more of that at some later date... I've had a minor epiphany though concerning what I eat.

They had us on a Paleo Diet and the switch was not bad, especially since the food was prepared by a Frenchman, but I noticed no major effects. When I returned to normal everyday life, I went for a gourmet Mushroom puree pizza, some buffalo chicken croquettes & a pint or two of beer. The next day, I went on to an amusement park, got the Mahi Mahi Fish & Chips, ate only half, added an afternoon snack of fries, and topped it off with a Margarita, chips & salsa, and a half of an enchilada dish. he next day started with my normal breakfast Luna Bar, and a quickie lunch at McD's of Fillet o' Fish & apples. By mid-afternoon, I was feeling lethargic & irritated. I immediately ran off to Trader Joe's to stock up on natural Raw Almonds, unsweetened natural sun dried raisins, a couple of packages of grapes, some fresh spinach, fresh mozzarella, Bananas, blueberries, more almonds, and some coconut milk, coconut oil & agave. Last night I ate about 4 oz. of steak, seasoned & grilled, a salad of fresh spinach with some basil from the deck, copious tomatoes from the deck, raisins, almond slices, olive oil, & balsamic vinegar, then a side of grilled veggies, an ear of sweet corn, and a dessert of bananas, blueberries, almonds in coconut milk, honey, agave & coconut oil (the last 3 in small amounts). half way through the meal I started feeling alive again & was more than full, but not unpleasantly so... Further, I was not hungry this morning and only ate my breakfast bar because I needed something with my antibiotics (will explain later). Today I brought the Almonds & raisins and some dried apples with me in case I wanted a snack (didn't really) and then ate a gyro salad for lunch. I'm staying full & not feeling nearly so lethargic today. Hmmm... idea: more raw, more fresh, more veggies, add some healthy fats, avoid processed foods altogether. We'll see how this goes. : )

Yay for Validation!

When I was in college and dancing and walking heavily, I had a recurring knee problem. Everyone thought I was nuts when I said it felt like my knee cap was going out of place. I just looked up Patellar Pain because it's come back again full-force (as a result of my going gung ho into the running I'm sure). So then I found these articles on Runner's Knee and Chondromalacia (same thing - different name/article). After doing research, all the symptoms and causes align. It's good to know that if I don't totally overdo it, it's something that will clear up. I need to lay off it though. I guess I'll have to go get myself a decent knee brace before the race and only do one more "long" run before then (long in finger "" because 3 miles really isn't that long). I know I can do it, so.... will definitely work on these exercises though to work on balancing my leg muscles. Dang, the human body is infinitly interesting from a Physics standpoint. I swear my mid-life crisis will be going back to school for Bio-Mechanics.