Muscles and Joints

It’s all about balance.  Those guy wires imitate how the muscles work to keep your bones and joints in good placement.  Most muscles are attached to  different bones on each end (like the ropes are attached to the ground and the tree) and when they contract, that action pulls one bone closer to the other. That’s how joints move.  When one muscle shortens, its partner muscle is stretched and a joint moves.

 Take your elbow for example. The muscles that control the elbow in flexion/extension (bending/straightening) are the biceps and triceps. Most of you are familiar with these muscles. The biceps is the muscle in the front part of your upper arm, and the triceps is in the back of the arm. When the biceps contracts and shortens, the arm bends at the elbow and the triceps muscle

Good Bones = the Hardscape = Human Posture

My computer fried last week just as I had taken a week off from work to do so much writing and organization. C'est la vie!  But I'm able to limp along with some auxillary tech help, so here we go......

Overall structural design is what gives a garden its ‘bones’ or framework. When we say a garden has ‘good bones’ we are usually referring to an engaging placement of the solid, more permanent landscaping features.  A successful hardscape of pathways, fences, arbors, water features, trees, or shrubs provides the armature upon which you build and shape the garden with your plantings. These are the things that remain constant even through the dormant seasons.  They define your little paradise, providing interest and contour, until they are utilized again in the spring to function as support for the movement of the garden when those creeping phlox spill over the walls and wisteria climbs up over the arbors.

Just as the garden benefits from having a good structural design, the human body also needs to have a solid and well-placed framework upon which to

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I found this great recipe and article on NPR.
If you had a bumper crop of pumpkins, I'm sure you've already made the pies for tomorrow's Feast, but save an extra one for this scrumptious side dish.  A pumpkin stuffed with bread, bacon, garlic and cheese can be a main course, according to cookbook author Dorie Greenspan.

NECESSARY INGREDIENTS

For a healthy garden, whether vegetable or floral, we need nutrient-rich soil, proper preparation of that soil, adequate sunlight for photosynthesis, water in regular amounts sufficient for strong root development and good drainage.  We need a nice allotment of insects and bees to help pollinate and eat harmful bacteria and pests. And we need regular maintenance in the form of fertilizing, deadheading, weeding, cleaning out leaves and debris, staking tall plants and trailing vines, turning and aerating the soil, so it won’t compact and become hard and deter proper root growth, and mulching for protection and moisture retention. The human body requires all those same ingredients to be healthy and robust. 

I remember as a child I used to think that you simply put a plant in the ground and it grew to its potential without any additional attention. At the time, I didn’t recognize that

RAKING LEAVES

What a fantastic weekend it has been in Nashville!! As promised, I went out to rake some leaves. Notice I said 'some' leaves. The color and texture they provide for my eyes, makes me reluctant to pick them all up in a perfect manicure. And anyone who's seen my lawn will be splitting their sides with laughter at the thought of me and 'perfectly manicured' existing in the same sentence.  I was tempted to

The Laws of Nature

Apprentice yourself to nature. Not a day will pass without her opening a new and wondrous world of experience to learn from and enjoy.” - Richard W. Langer

In the 20 years I’ve been practicing as a neuromuscular therapist, I’ve noticed the majority of people don’t really know how to take responsibility for their body/pain. They think pain is only due to injury or comes automatically with getting older. Most of my new clients don’t realize they have any control whatsoever over their situation. They tend to think all injuries are accidental happenstance. Not many are educated about the cause and effect relationships of the human body and postural influence over the long term that may predispose us to a particular injury. We were taught at an early age that brushing our teeth is very important, and we understand the consequences, and most have incorporated this habit into their daily routine. But no one seems to be out there teaching about the  consequences of  poor posture and how it contributes to physical breakdown and pain.

               Two basic natural laws applicable are the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Gravity. The Law of Cause and Effect states that every consequence (effect) has a cause. If one desires a certain outcome, one must identify and then enact the course of action in order to produce the desired results. For example, a beautiful lush garden (the effect) requires a certain course of action (the cause). If a gardener fertilizes but does not weed the beds, the garden will not immediately perish altogether, but it will