Step in time: Heighten your own awareness

A key sense to heighten your awareness of is proprioception, which is the ability to sense stimuli arising within your body regarding position,motion and alignment. The root of the word is 'proprius' which Latin for ' one's own'.

In order to attain and then maintain good posture bearing in mind our body's are constantly changing is refining your awareness of the feedback the brain is giving of your body's positional alignment 

 i.e. what you are conscious of.

Step in time and get the best you can from the moment you are in.

Enjoy constantly striving to heighten awareness.

Step in Time ; Heighten your own awareness

Are you experiencing occasional unexpected aches and pains in your legs and feet, which are fleeting and occur either when walking or when footwear is taken off. Then they gradually ease and fade away.

These are the early sign of your body being out of balance.

Focus on attaining and maintaining good posture, particularly when sitting.

heighten your own awareness.

Remember your brain is constantly managing a dozen systems every second you are alive.

Step in Time

Step in Time: Heighten your own awareness

When our toes start to be uncomfortable, especially the big toe(Hallux). The problem is usually nothing to do with feet. Frequently it is the consequence of a choice we have made as to what we wear on the feet to co-ordinate with the style clothing or what we are doing.

Everyday footwear ought to have some form of ankle fastening. This will help stabilize the ankles and give space to the toes.

Step in time by being  more aware of all your senses in the moment you are in. Then it is possible to avoid pain. Remember pain in all it's forms is the brain drawing attention to a problem.

Step in Time: Heighten your own awareness

The ankle joint is a mass of ligaments(the function of which is to maintain alignment of bones at a joint). There is no direct muscle attachments around the ankle joint itself, therefore muscles are unable in this case to meet their primary function of giving stability of a joint.

When a heel strike is outside normal limits the ankle joint will either seize up(hypomobile) or be too loose(hypermobile).

When either of these happen the function of the feet are impaired which in turn creates instability; both for the feet and how the whole leg functions.

A simple way to lessen the detrimental effects of a poorly aligned ankle joint is to wear footwear that supports the ankles e.g. boot type styles.

Prevention is always better than cure. Work with your mind brain and body to create improved stability by supporting your ankles in your normal day to day activities.

Step in time.

Heighten awareness of what you are feeling is happening as your body moves.  

Step in Time: Heighten your own awareness.

The correct head , neck and shoulders for the Central Nervous System(CNS) to function at it's optimum is critical.

The CNS consists of the brain and the spine.

So, when the upper body is incorrectly aligned due to poor posture arising from bad habits.There has to be a detrimental affect on the CNS as well as the musculo-skeletal structure - See below.

 

Strive to attain and then maintain good posture.

Step in time and stay comfortable.

The way we move is the only aspect of our lives we have total control of.

Step in Time: Heighten your own awareness

Energy is stored in the body in a molecule called Adenosine Triphosphate(ATP).

This molecule fuels everything from thinking and moving to dealing with infection.

ATP is created as part of the process of glucose and oxygen interacting.

ATP is involved in every muscle contraction.

It is finite. Once used it has to be replaced. It is one of the products of what we eat and how we breath.

So when posture is poor due to being round shouldered and head to far forward lungs are slightly compressed as a consequence the amount of oxygen circulating in the blood will be reduced. This often leads to muscle cramps and difficulty concentrating.

The solution is simple : Strive to attain and maintain good posture.

Step in Time

Step in time: heighten your own awareness.

Does your neck or shoulders frequently ache?

Especially when sitting working at a desk or on a lap top. If so this is an indication your body is misaligned.

Listen to your body. This is your body conforming to your enviroment and letting you know it is wrong.

Make your enviroment conform to your body. Get a more comfortable chair; raise the computer monitor; sit correctly. Get out of the chair more often.

Work with your body. Try not to take it for granted.

Step in time. 

Step in Time: Heighten your own awareness

Everyday aches and pains often arise because joints are incorrectly aligned.

If knees and feet are not pointing in the same direction the body is moving when walking on flat level ground, then there is a problem.

Often it is simply a twist in the knees which are very common and occurs when changing direction is done incorrectly.

This happens because often there is a total lack of awareness of how our body changes direction.

Heighten your awareness of how you move.

Remember thought and feeling occur in the same moment.

Step in time.

Step in Time: Heighten your own awareness

Are aches,stiffness and pains a constant companion?

If so, this is your brain making you aware that within your habits and routines there are movements occurring that are creating postural imbalances,leading to muscles being damaged and joints misaligned.

Strive to consistently improve posture when sitting standing and walking.

Prevention is always better than cure.

Step in time

Step in Time: Heighten awareness

Our body is a mass of different diameter tubes. When our body is incorrectly aligned for long periods of time, e.g. sitting for hours in front of computer screens or a tv with poor posture.

Then kinks will occur that impair blood flow and nerve pathways, resulting in stiffness, numbness,aches, pins and needles sensations.

Always be mindful of the fact we are NOT thinking creatures that can feel.

We are feeling creatures that can think.

This is a quote from Gill Bolte Taylor's book 'My Stroke of Insight'. Worth a read.

As soon as there is a sensation of some form of discomfort then move for a few minutes, then blood will flow with greater ease.

Excellent blood flow is essential for a healthy body.

Focus on prevention

Step in time

Step in Time: Heighten awareness

The brain and the spine together form the Central Nervous System

How can the Central Nervous System work efficiently when the spine is constantly or frequently poorly aligned?

It simply cannot be working at it's optimum.

Focus  on maintaining good posture.

Sit correctly!!!!!!!!

Step in Time : Heighten Awareness

                         

The brain controls all movement.

The brain and the body are always functioning in the present moment in time.

The mind is rarely in the present moment for long yet the mind is totally dominant because thoughts 

control every movement.

How can the feet function correctly when the body is incorrectly aligned.

Focus thoughts on striving to attain and maintain 

EXCELLENT POSTURE

Step in Time: Heighten awareness

                          A synovial joint can be in one of only three places or in transition

                                                          between them.

                                          Hyper-mobile  -    Too much movement

                                               Mobile       -     Normal

                                          Hypo-mobile  -     Too little movement

                        It is the latter that causes most of our everyday aches and pains.

                        Often it is poor posture that is the precursor to becoming hypo-mobile,

                        leading to impaired muscle function as muscles work to move joints that 

                        are gradually seizing up.

                                            

Strive to  maintain good posture

Step in time         

www.stepintime.org.uk

Step in Time: Heighten awareness

                                              Strive to maintain excellent posture

                                   By lengthening spine,relaxing shoulders and neck

                                        Ensure head is directly over center of mass

                                             When sitting,standing and walking. 

                                                   Think of the body as a building

                            

                   If a building has an unstable foundation how can the structure above be stable.

                  So, how can the feet be stable when the rest of the body above is poorly aligned.

 

                                               All movement is controlled by the brain

                                                                                                   Step in Time

                                                                                              http://www.stepintime.org.uk

       

                                                        

              

Step in Time : Heighten awareness.

                           Thought and feeling co-exist in the same moment.

             Focus attention on your body as your thoughts flit in and out of your mind.
             How is your body aligned? How are you sitting right now? If standing, is
             one hip taking more pressure than the other? Are your shoulders forward and
             rounded?
           
             The brain is constantly changing as it integrates all our body systems that keep us alive
             and at the same time controls how the body moves in compliance with our thoughts.

            When good posture is attained and maintained then most of our everyday aches and
             pains are kept at bay. Our body is comfortable.

An old Chinese saying:   Old age starts in the feet.