Live Pain Free – Your Peak Potential

Why does my hip pain keep coming back?

Julie Tod — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 16:24:56 +0000

Why does my hip pain keep coming back?

A client, I’ll call her Sally, (not her real name) told me last week that her physio had moved her hip around and, for the first time in ages, it didn’t hurt.

Brilliant!

But even the physio said the pain would probably come back.

And this is where my approach comes in.

Relieving pain doesn’t automatically change what’s causing the problem in the first place.

Let's first ask, "Why is your hip struggling?"

I want to understand why that part of the body is under so much pressure.

How is it being used day to day? Is it doing more work than it needs to?

And if it is, why?

That’s what I wanted to explore with Sally.

You see a bend forward - I see 20 things before you even start

We looked at how she stood, hinged forwards and moved, and something became clear.

As a movement specialist, spotting patterns is one of my strengths. I could clearly see her left leg was doing far more of the work, carrying much more of her weight than the right.

But she couldn’t feel the difference.

My job is to make sure the client understands what’s happening in their own body. So I needed to make it clear.

I asked her to get up from a chair, leading with her left, then her right.

Now she could clearly see the difference. She was unable to generate the support and drive she needed to stand on the right. Light bulb moment!

Then I noticed how she stood when she wasn’t thinking about it. Almost all her weight was shifted onto her left leg, knee locked tight, with her right foot barely touching the floor.

So now the issue was much clearer.

How pain is built

Sally was repeatedly putting far more weight and demand through her left leg than her right.

When one area of your body is constantly being asked to do more than its fair share, that extra strain can eventually lead to discomfort, pain and injury.

And Sally was doing this day after day, without even realising it.

Is her left leg simply compensating for a problem with her right?

It’s tempting to think so, particularly as she’s had previous problems on the right.

But it’s not that simple.

The automatic movement habits we develop can affect both sides of our body, creating different demands and limitations. And because these habits feel normal, we often don’t realise we’re doing them.

You might think the answer is simply to get her standing on her right leg more.

But what if the right leg doesn't yet know how to support her properly?

That’s what we’re working on changing.

We’re exploring how her feet, legs, pelvis and trunk work together to create support. So she can use her right leg more effectively and transfer weight between both legs when she walks.

Telling someone to move differently is one thing. Helping their body learn how to do it is another.

That takes practice and progression. We develop skills through simpler movements, then gradually bring them into squats, lunges, hinges and the activities she wants to do.

What happens if we only keep treating the painful hip?

Imagine she continues having her hip loosened every few weeks.

It feels better. She can walk and exercise with less discomfort.

That’s valuable.

But when she returns to everyday life, she’s still habitually loading her left leg far more than her right.

The same physical demands are still there.

Perhaps her hip starts complaining again. Or perhaps she begins experiencing discomfort elsewhere. Her knee, lower back or another area working harder as part of that movement strategy.

If you only investigate where you feel pain then you can’t resolve the wider reasons for that pain.

Why strengthening alone won't fix the issue

She could develop stronger muscles and still spend most of her day relying on her left leg.

Having stronger muscles doesn’t automatically mean you’ve learnt how to use them differently.

Our work is about developing support, usable strength and movement skills that allow her to share the load more effectively between both sides, eventually without having to consciously think about every movement.

You can influence much more than you think

If you keep experiencing pain or injuries, there may not be one neat cause. But that doesn’t mean you can’t change it.

And if you’ve experienced pain in different parts of your body, don’t assume they’re separate problems. How you use one part of your body affects what happens elsewhere.

That’s why looking at the whole body matters.

I want you to know, treatment can help you relieve pain. But nobody can change the way you habitually use your body for you.

Strengthening and stretching can be useful. But they’re only part of what determines how you move.

Why work with an injury specialist movement coach?

Changing movement habits takes awareness, practice and learning new skills.

But when those habits feel completely normal, how do you even know what needs to change?

That’s where I can help. I look for the patterns you can’t necessarily see or feel yourself, then help you develop new movement skills and put them into practice in everyday life and the activities you love.

You don’t have to work it all out alone. But you do need to be part of the process.

How can you build a body you can trust?

A body you can trust doesn’t mean you’ll never experience pain or injury again. No one can promise you that.

But you can learn to recognise early warning signs, make adjustments and build a body that’s not just stronger, but better able to cope with the demands of everyday life, exercise and the activities you love.

Because feeling better matters. But so does changing what keeps bringing you back to the same problem.

Fed up with the same pain or injury returning?

I’m Julie, a movement coach specialising in back pain and sports injuries, based in Bromley Cross, Bolton.

If you’re regularly needing treatment, or still struggling to do the things you love, my free 30-minute Pain & Injury Call is a chance to explore what’s happening, what you’ve tried and what might be missing.

Book a free pain & injury call

The 1 thing you need to prevent painful injuries

Julie Tod — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 10:55:29 +0000

Are you nodding yes to 1 of more of these?

Are niggles, aches, pains a regular feature in daily life?
Are you currently unable to exercise due to pain or injury?
Are you taping up a knee, ankle or shoulder so you can train or even just get through the working day?
Are you having regular physio or massage just to feel comfortable in your body?
Have you suffered more than one painful condition or injury – like anything ending “itis” or “opothy”?

If so, then a lack of stability is the number 1 reason for your pain.

Stability is the number 1 thing we all need in order to:

Be free from aches and pains on a daily basis
Resolve any injury for the long term, so the pain doesn’t come back
Prevent injuries instead of leaving it to chance

And yet, frustratingly very few physical therapists or trainers talk in any great detail.

Yes, I know it doesn’t sound…. exciting, or sexy. But improving your stability is a massive game changer when it comes to getting out of pain and fixing injury for the long term.

72% of lower back injuries are followed by a neck or shoulder injury within 5 years.

The reverse in true for neck and shoulder injuries, within 5 years there is a 72% chance of a lower back injury. I experienced this exact problem. This pattern isn’t limited to your back it is mirrored across the whole body.

Stability is the only way to prevent this

I was fit, active and even teaching yoga but I had a chain of painful muscles and frustrating injuries. It felt like a constant battle. A bulging disc in my lower back was bad enough but it was followed by a trapped nerve in my neck with rotator cuff pain within 2 years. Both meant months being unable to do all the activities I loved.

It was miserable and I could not understand it.

Learning how to restore my full body stability was a massive gamechanger.

It fixed the neck injury. But more than that, my neck and shoulders that had been tight forever were comfortable and loose. It felt like a new body!

I was free from daily muscle aches and pains I had been accepting as “normal”.

The massive bonus was how it unlocked physical capabilities I did not know I had. It is my secret advantage. Instead of giving up running, I ran an ultra!

It’s given me back control over how my body feels every day. On occasion, if I get a tight muscle, I can deal with it then, so it doesn’t escalate into pain.

Stability can do all this for you too.

How is this different to traditional treatments?

Most of the time, when you get treatment, it focuses on hands on therapy at the site of the pain. But pain is only a symptom, it is not what is causing the problem. If your treatment stops at this point it is only pain relief – like taking a pain killer.

You may occasionally get 1 or 2 exercises that focus on the injured part to help strengthen it. This again is only a partial fix. The injured part not only needs to be re-conditioned it needs to be integrated back into the whole body. So it is able to work with other muscles to create systems. Any compensations that came about due to the injury need to be corrected.

Everything is connected – no bit of your body works in isolation. To fully rehab your body so pain doesn’t come back AND to prevent new issues cropping up you must take a full body approach and ensure stability is restored.

That way you will be resilient to withstand the pressures of everyday life and deal with added stress of training without unnecessary issues and injuries.

What is stability?

It’s a term that gets thrown around but what does it actually mean and why does it matter?

Stability is being able to carry out any physical task and manage the load or forces associated with that task, efficiently and safely.

By having necessary strength, flexibility, joint mobility and muscle control to be able to maintain correct, healthy alignment of all your joints (when standing still and moving) you can transmit any forces out of the body. Using muscles that are designed for dealing with that load.

Maintaining good alignment will feel effortless and natural.

Why have I lost my stabilityI

You developed this as a child but its highly likely you have lost this ability due to extended periods of inactivity (we all have them), doing the same movements over and over again, previous injuries, poor exercise technique, stress, unatural footwear….

You can get it back with deliberate practice, the right exercise selection and technique and movement skills.

Test yourself

Arrange yourself with the best standing posture you can like on the video.

How easy is that to maintain?
Does it feel natural?

With good stability, standing this way would feel effortless and natural. You would maintain this alignment as you moved effortlessly.

And that would minimise wear and tear.

Ever ridden a bike with bent wheel, crooked spokes and stiff chain?

You probably wouldn’t dream of it! But that is what you are doing with your body.

Good stability is like riding a well-maintained bike, with straight wheels, aligned spokes, smooth chain.

Moving without good stability would be like riding a bike with slight buckles in the wheels the chain with kinks in. It still moves, but it far from comfortable and is not efficient. Its harder work than is necessary and it won’t be long before it breaks down and stops.

It is the same in your body.

Stability is not the same as strength

If you are thinking “I do strength work, I am strong so must be stable”. Not necessarily. Strength and stability are not the same.

Do you have any muscles that are tight everyday?
When you do a lunge is your torso leaning one way and your leg wobbling around?
If you balance on one leg are you wobbling around or putting your foot down before 30 seconds is up?
Do you feel uncomfortable standing still for a while?

If you answered yes to any of these this is a lack of stability.

Being able to run a marathon or squat your body weight is one thing. But stability should be the foundation that you build your strength and speed on, so that you can perform safely.

Is your exercise making you more suseptable to injury?

Exercising or training without good stability and with common dysfunctions like rounded shoulders, flat back, knees that are out of line then there will be a price to pay. That price will be pain.

Loading the body with reps, sets or clocking up regular mileage without the stability you need to manage them is a major factor leading to your injuries.

Imagine a car with the tracking out

The car still moves forward, but it may pull to one side, the tyres wear more in certain areas and that is what is happening in your body.

Why does stability cause wear and tear?

Everyday our body has to deal with forces and loads. The best way to do that is to direct them out of the body and we have many clever systems designed to do just that.

Let’s use walking as an example.

When you walk each foot landing is equal to your bodyweight in force. If you weigh say 60KG, then that is like dead-lifiting 60KG every time you place your foot down on the floor.

When the body is stable, the joints are well aligned, your body uses that force to propel you forward. Then, that force is directed through and out of the body by slings of muscles working together. If you are not stable, the sling systems are not working as they should. The force gets stuck in your ankles, hips knees or backs.

Running increases the force. It is at least 3 x your bodyweight as each foot lands on the floor.

Even at a low cadence, say 160 steps a minute, that is 4800 steps at 60KG in a 30 minute 5k.

Greater force, increased steps so much greater wear. force comes quicker and greater wear.

So stability means we can move and achieve physical tasks, efficiently so we can do more with less perceived effort. Without creating unnecessary wear, tear and damage to your body so you are preventing injury.

Is this ringing bells for you? Curious to see how stable you are? Our new mini MOT will test your stabiity and provide some key information as to why you are suffering any aches and pains.

For just £25 get a stability health check and find the root cause of your pain.

5 reasons why you get injured even though you are fit & active

Julie Tod — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 18:33:04 +0000

Are you having regular massages, physio or time off resting to manage painful muscles and joints?

Do you feel frustrated by injury after injury, just manage to get one fixed and another one comes along?

When we get these types of pain, often they start small, as a niggle then either, the pain gets worse or it spreads so you end up with mutiple areas of discomfort and pain. Most of the time you will be told there is no specific reason or cause or told it is simply wear and tear.

When I work with someone they are generally going over and over it in their head, wracking their brains as to what they have done that’s caused the problem. But all too often they are looking in the wrong places.

I hear these myths repeated all the time

It’s just my age
Running is bad for your knees
Injury is just a normal part of training

These are not the reason you are in pain.

Let's look at 5 real reasons you get injured

#1 Tight Muscles

I know you are thinking….. Really! Heard that before…. but stick with me here.

We have been conditioned to think that tight muscles are normal. But it’s simply not true. Not the temporary tightness after exercise, that eases over 1 or 2 days. I mean the muscles that are tight when you get up and are tight all day. Chronic tightness. The tricky thing here is I work with lots of people who are chronically tight but don’t feel it. The shortened state of the muscles has become normal for them so they do not notice tight sensations in everyday life. When I ask them to stretch they feel it then!

It’s easy to think – well it doesn’t matter then, I am getting away with it.

Today is one thing, but tight muscles will cause problems in time. A tight muscle doesn’t work in isolation so there are knock on effects. Ignoring this is setting up the conditions for injuries in the next months or years. And limiting your athletic performance.

Why tight muscles lead to injury

Tight muscles are contracted and over-working even at rest. That in itself can cause discomfort and pain.
They can’t function normally and are more likely to strain or tear.
Tight muscles pull on joints causing pain and impingements.
Tight muscles will reduce your range of movement. So other muscles will have to work in ways they were never intended.

It is far easier to do something about tight muscles before they reach the pain or injury stage.

#2 Wear & tear

Why do muscles become short, tight and overworked?

Contrary to popular thought, they don’t celebrate another birthday in this way. It is a sign of imbalances.

Muscles don’t work alone, they work with other muscles and bones to create movement. Where there is a short, over worked muscle there will be an associated underworking muscle. This all changes how we use our body to move. For example, a runner whose hip, quad and ankle are tight cannot extend fully in their stride. Often their lower back will arch instead, causing the lower back muscles to overwork.

How much wear and tear we experience depends on HOW we move.

When we move efficiently in harmony with the body we have limited wear and tear. Imbalances mean we move inefficiently. Not only does it make moving harder than it needs to be, it speeds up wear and tear. Muscles are under more pressure, joints move in ways they were not intended.

It is this wear and tear that is causing problems.

Re-learning to move efficiently, re-training our body will massively reduce and even reverse this excess wear and tear.

It is easier than you think to do this.

Like a hammer chipping away at your joints and muscles

Imagine a little hammer tapping away on your bones and muscles, all day. Each tap is not enough to do damage but overtime, 60 taps a minute, 3600 taps every hour etc wears away until eventually something snaps. This is what is happening in your body when we move inefficiently.

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#3 Muscular Imbalances

The same way tight muscles are common, muscular imbalances are now all too common. Common does not mean they are normal or inevitable. They happen because of how we use, or rather misuse our body, without really knowing. Simple changes can make big differences.

“Change your posture – change your life”

Dee Nichol-Williams

Common misuse adaptations

We all sit for long periods of time. From sitting at desks, in cars, on sofas, at computers, on bikes. Most of that time we slouch. Whilst there is nothing wrong with slouching – doing the same thing for hours and hours a week / month / year changes the body.

Our shoulders round, chest falls and head moves forwards. When we sit like this a lot, the extensor muscles in the back get loose and we lose the ability to extend our torso fully. The chest muscles get short and tight. The shoulder blades change position, moving away from the spine.The spine becomes less flexible, rotation becomes more difficult so the shoulders overwork.

These changes are physical.

It can cause back pain, wear and tear in spine structures, shoulder impingements, frozen shoulder. It can even cause a build up on tissue at the back of the neck so you get a bulge or lump called a dowagers hump. Sitting up straight briefly will not fix it.

The ony way to resolve this is to retrain the muscles to work in the correct way.

No two lives are the same, so no two bodies adapt in the same way. There are similarities and common changes but the detail for each person will be different

#4 Previous Injury

Research tells us…

If you have 1 injury you are twice as likely to get another in the short to mid term.
If you get a lower back or hip injury you are 72% likely to get a shoulder or neck injury within 5 years.

Why is that?

Part of the issue is how the body compensates for that injury. You will avoid moving in certain ways to reduce pain and prevent further damage. These compensation patterns get set into the nervous system as the new “norm”. So once you are out of pain you will not necessarily go back to normal movement patterns. SO more wear and tear. It is a cycle.

Pain relief is NOT pain resolution

Traditional treatments focus only on the symptom – relieving the pain. But symptoms are not the root cause they are simply the sign of the problem. To fix the problem for good you need to address the cause, which may be elsewhere in the body. Whilst pain relief is important, it is only part of rfull rehab. For example, knee pain is often driven by what is happening at the feet or the hips. If we do not address the cause then the problme has not gone away and will likely create other symptoms later on. Failing to correct compensation patterns will not get rid of the wear and tear.

Where are you in this cycle?

#5 Exercise, choice, technique & training

Exercising and training with imbalances and common dysfunctions like

kyphosis (rounding of the upper spine),
“flat” feet (all to often weak feet,
uneven pelvic tilt,
tight muscles

is a major problem. Without knowing it, all your hard work are doing to build a better body can be super-sizing that excess wear and tear with reps and sets or miles.

Remember the hammer, tapping away through the day? Adding reps is speeding up that hammer and increasing the force. It will send you down the path to pain and injury quicker.

Even if you are aware of good technique, the changes in your body will prevent you being able to realise them where you have movement limitations and compensations.

Why do other people get away without injuries?

Why do some people get away with poor posture, sitting, exercise pressure when others seem to get injury after. There will be a number of reasons. Your body can take a lot of abuse and adapt and as long as it has the ability to recover. It will get by, even if it is not able to work at it’s best.

Everyone’s tipping point is different. Once you add enough pressure and the body cannot recover then the niggles start. Simply resting is not rehab. The inflammation and pain may reduce as you remove pressure, but the root cause is still there. Chipping away. The pain may come back or due to compensations it can spring up somewhere else.

The good news

All this is fixable. Your next injury can be the best thing that happens to you. If you let it be.

Choosing to start the process to rebuild your resilient, stable, efficient body will be the best thing for your comfort, health, performance and longevity. It may take a little time but the pay back will be huge. Allowing you to enjoy all the sports and activities you love for the long term.

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5 signs you could be FIT but unhealthy

Julie Tod — Fri, 15 May 2020 11:48:36 +0000

Are you FIT but unhealthy?

You run, bike, hike mountains, climb, lift weights, train regularly and you’re fitter than plenty of people half your age.

So you’re doing pretty well, right?

Well… maybe.

Your back keeps flaring up. Your hips complain after longer runs. You’ve got a collection of niggles that take turns making an appearance.

You’re fit. But is your body actually coping with everything you’re asking of it?

Because being fit and being healthy aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Here are five signs that being fit might be coming at a higher price than you realise.

1. You keep getting injured

You get injured. You rest, stretch, strengthen, have treatment. Eventually things improve.

Brilliant. Back to training!

Then a few weeks later, something else starts hurting. Or the same old problem makes another appearance.

Here we go again.

But what if the problem isn’t simply the bit that hurts?

Perhaps your back keeps getting overloaded because of how you move, rather than because it’s weak.

Strengthening it might help, but won’t necessarily change how you use day to day.

And before you blame your age, recurring injuries aren’t inevitable. There are often reasons worth investigating and things you can change

2. You focus on how much you do, not how you do it

More miles. Heavier weights. Faster times. We love measuring progress, don’t we?

But have you ever considered how your body is actually doing the work?

You might deadlift a decent weight while your lower back does more than its fair share. Or run 10 miles while one leg takes most of the load.

You can be strong enough to do something, but still be putting unnecessary strain on your body.

And those habits don’t clock off when you leave the gym. They’re there in everyday movement too

3. You're not recovering as well as you think

You train hard. Eat well. Sleep. planned rest days. Even thrown in a few cold dips.

So recovery is sorted, right?

You’re picking up every cold going around.
Your sleep isn’t refreshing,
You’re more irritable
Workouts that normally feel easy are becoming a struggle.

And what do you do?
You stick to the training plan anyway. Skipping a sessions? Unthinkable!

But if your body is telling you it’s struggling, is pushing through really making you fitter?

4. You're gradually working around what hurts

You’ve stopped running downhill because of your knees.
Deadlifts are off the menu because of your back.
You don’t run beyond 10K anymore.

You’re still active. Still fit.

But has your world started getting smaller without you noticing?

It’s surprisingly easy to become very good at working around problems rather than changing them.

What if you put some of that effort into changing the problem instead?

5. You have no idea what your breathing is doing

Breathing. You do it all day.

But what happens when you actually notice it?

Does it feel fast and shallow, even at rest?
Do you regularly catch yourself holding your breath?
Does slowing it down feel surprisingly difficult?

Perhaps even paying attention to your breathing makes you feel a little anxious.

These are signs that your body is under more pressure than you realise.

Being fit is only part of the picture

I love fitness. I love seeing people challenge themselves and discover what they’re capable of.

But how much effort are you putting into simply keeping yourself going?

The regular treatments. The endless niggles. The cancelled races, missed adventures and weeks spent rebuilding fitness.

Perhaps you’ve become so good at managing your body that you’ve stopped questioning why it needs so much managing.

What if the effort you’re already putting into keeping your body going could actually help you build a better one?

Fed up with the same pain or injury coming back?

Maybe you’ve strengthened, stretched, rested, had treatment and bought enough foam rollers to open your own shop.

And yet here you are.

Perhaps it’s time for a different conversation.

Book your free 30-minute Pain & Injury Call

Hi, I’m Julie, a Movement Coach specialising in recurring pain and injuries.

Got a problem that keeps coming back? Bring it to me!

This isn’t a sales call disguised as a free consultation.

It’s 30 minutes to explore what’s happening, what you’ve tried and what might be worth looking at differently.

I’ll share my thinking, ask questions you might not have considered and give you something practical to explore afterwards.

I’d like you to leave thinking, “Oh! I’ve never looked at it like that before.”

If we end up working together, brilliant.

If not, I hope you’ve gained something useful. And if you know someone else battling the same old injuries, feel free to send them my way!

I’m a Movement Coach at Your Peak Potential in Bromley Cross, Bolton. I work with clients from all over the North West.

Yoga reclaims running for Alastair

Julie Tod — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 19:46:16 +0000

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I teach yoga to try and help other people make changes in body and mind so they are able to do more of the things they love.

So, i love when clients tell me how yoga is changing their life!

Alastair has been a regular attendee of my Monday night yoga class for over a year now and his dedication is really paying off. In the past, he competed in triathlons and endurance events, but didn’t pay much attention to recovery or stretching. When he retired from competing, his muscles were tight, joints were complaining and flexibility was limited. He did not think running or competing would be part of his life again.

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Since starting yoga, I have seen his movement improving week by week and could not fail to notice a great deal more comfort in his practice. Of late he has been enjoying achieving more challenging routines and postures especially tricky balances.

Seeing changes, Alastair began to practice at home and didn’t miss when he was on his recent holiday, even practicing by the pool. Commitment to maintaining a regular practice is key to achieving results. Sounds obvious, but it can be easy to skip when life gets hectic. And results are what he has achieved – so much so he has been able to start running again.

“Following retirement from competitive triathlon through injury I started yoga to improve flexibility and maintain core fitness. Julie’s knowledge of body mechanics and how to reduce the likelihood of injury shine through in the classes and the result is I’m now significantly more flexible, have improved posture and balance and have improved the levels of comfort in my body.

I have been able to take what I have learnt and confidently practice at home too. I’ve seen such an improvement that I have been able to start running again and have now signed up for a triathlon for the first time in 6 years.”

Physical improvements aside, Alastair has been surprised at how yoga has led to an improvement in his overall feeling of well-being. His wife noticed too commenting on his improved mood after work calling yoga his “grumpy man class”.

“With a stressful job role and a busy family life, the weekly class gives me valuable time to re-set. The feeling of deep relaxation and gentle contentedness following the class is superb and overall I have an improved sense of well-being.”

Are there things you have had to stop or give up, things you love? However big or small, from taking part in a sport you love or just being able to sit on the floor with the kids.

You do not have to accept limitations as you get older. To find out how you can begin to reclaim what you love, drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.

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Cathy Woods conquers manchester marathon with ChiRunning

philyoung531@mac.com — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 20:59:58 +0000

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My ChiRunning adventure began about 2 and a half years ago with my decision to run a marathon.

I was already at a level where I had run several half marathons, however, I had a chronic nagging pain in my hip and down the side of one knee. As soon as I experimented with increasing my mileage it became clear that I wasn’t going to cope with the distance. I looked around for Plan B, which appeared as a Facebook advert for ChiRunning. I bought the book and then the Marathon book. I followed the plan. Strange things started to happen. My plantar fascitis (that I’d had for all of my 5 running years) stopped, I stopped wearing my orthotics, then reduced the support of my trainers, then ran in minimalist shoes.

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Last year I ran my first marathon – Wrecsam Marathon.

Unfortunately, something wasn’t quiet right as I injured a tendon on my foot on my last long long run before the race and for a while thought I wouldn’t be able to run it. I had to return to my support trainers until I healed. I decided to get some help and to do a couple of basic Build the Foundations ChiRunning workshops.

“My measure of a good workshop, whether for work or play, is that if I can take two things away from it that I remember and that change the way I do things for the better, then it has been worth the money. I took four things away from Phil’s workshop”

Shortly afterwards I did a workshop with Gray in London. It was a revelation. The biggest thing that I got out of the workshop (and it was a big thing) was that I had been trying too hard (I think the books encourage this).

I went back to basics, improved my form, started running with my mouth shut, got back to my minimalist running shoes and really began to enjoy running again.

More recently I attended another Basics workshop, this time in Bury with Phil.

We had our video observations first so Phil could see our current running form. This was very useful. It showed that I was doing a little twist with my right foot when I lifted it, probably due to a weakness in my right side. I have hopefully corrected this now. Following the workshop, I have also made a slight adjustment in my running cadence and this has been helpful too.

Back to the nasal breathing. I had slipped with this. Unfortunately, in Prestatyn in winter the wind is strong, it comes off the sea and is spikey and full of salt. It makes my eyes and nose run. I find it mostly impossible to nasal breathe.

In Bury, even on a slightly snowy afternoon the air was soft. I was encouraged enough to nasal breath as much as I could when I got home, enough anyway for me to work out that my nasal/aerobic running pace was about the same as my aerobic pace on my Garmin. This is a lovely pace to run at and after the workshop I have run at least 80% of my runs at this pace, my true aerobic pace and I’m getting faster. Finally – arms and shoulders. The workshop helped me to relax my shoulders better, although I still need to practice this – it’s a journey not a destination!

My measure of a good workshop, whether for work or play, is that if I can take two things away from it that I remember and that change the way I do things for the better, then it has been worth the money. I took four things away from Phil’s workshop – Correct foot alignment, running at my true aerobic pace, breathing nasally when I can, Cadence and the way I move my arms. It was definitely worth the money!

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Fast forward a few months and I have completed Manchester Marathon.

I achieved my goal for the marathon – to run without injury and accomplished my race strategy of running it at my aerobic pace.

I enjoyed it!

There are a couple of things I need to work on – keeping my cadence up after 10 miles or so and relaxing my shoulders/keeping my elbows in– so I’ll be looking for an advanced ChiRunning workshop to do before my next marathon.

The adventure continues!

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Gray Caws tells us all about Oxygen Advantage

Julie Tod — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 16:26:24 +0000

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We are very proud to have Gray Caws from Adventures in Movement London presenting the North Wests 1st Oxygen Advantage workshop at Your Parinama’s Studio in Bury on the 21st October 2018

Gray is also Co- hosting Phil’s 1st Chi Running Foundations Workshop again the 1st Chi Running workshop in the Northwest so no pressure!

So a little background on Gray, have a look at his introduction to Get the Oxygen Advantage workshop and book a seat you won’t regret it.

Hope you can join Phil, Gray and Myself for both workshops, I’ve seen these two amazing coachs in action and you will learn new ways to improve not just your running technique, your sports performance but things you can do in your everyday life, now thats a benefit in itself.

See you soon – Julie – Yourparinama

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“True health and inner peace occurs when breathing is quiet, effortless, soft, through the nose, abdominal, rhythmical and gently paused on exhale” Patrick McKeown

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Gray Caws
Personal Trainer | Director Chi Running UK and Ireland | Chi Running Master Coach | Oxygen Advantage Instructor

Gray trained as an Oxygen Advantage Instructor with Patrick McKeown and became the first UK certified instructor in 2016, teaching a programme of breathing exercises that help to maximise oxygen carrying capacity and delivery for aerobic and anaerobic improvement.

Qualifications:

• Level 4 Active IQ Certificate in Specialist Exercise (Management of Lower Back Pain)
• Active IQ Level 3 Certificate in Advanced Personal Training
• Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Exercise Referral
• Master Chi Running Instructor
• Master Chi Walking Instructor
• Oxygen Advantage Instructor
• Master Kettlebell Instructor
• Spiral Stabilisation Instructor
• Active IQ Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instruction
• Nutritional adviser

[/tm_pb_text][/tm_pb_column][/tm_pb_row][tm_pb_row admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” use_grid_padding=”on” width_unit=”on” custom_padding=”50px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” vertical_alligment_1=”start” responsive_laptop_1=”inherit” responsive_tablet_1=”inherit” responsive_phone_1=”inherit” order_laptop_1=”1″ order_tablet_1=”1″ order_phone_1=”1″ column_padding_mobile=”on”][tm_pb_column type=”4_4″][tm_pb_video admin_label=”Video” src=”https://gcs-vimeo.akamaized.net/exp=1538785401~acl=%2A%2F1114950354.mp4%2A~hmac=46f287b97bbb1306a8f299afc11e56161e52bf8a4b001bdef960d0f9f4b7ff8a/vimeo-prod-skyfire-std-us/01/3704/11/293524689/1114950354.mp4″ auto_play=”off” loop_play=”off” mute=”on” image_src=”https://yourparinama.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/oxygen-advantage-logo.jpg” play_icon_color=”#0c0c0c”] [/tm_pb_video][/tm_pb_column][/tm_pb_row][/tm_pb_section]

The Can’t Crone – The Power of Positive Thought and Mantra

Julie Tod — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 09:20:30 +0000

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In last Fridays Yoga for Runners we spoke about being mind aware….

Just as we have looked at how we can begin to be more aware of what is going on in our bodies, on and off the mat, we can bring this awareness to what is happening in our minds too. Being more aware of our mind and understanding that we are not out thoughts can help us to recognise unhelpful thought patterns, make more choices before we just react to thoughts, create space in the mind away from the crowded constant chatter and reduce stress responses.

Using a mantra

a chosen word or phrase that we repeat, can help us to focus our mind and not let it run away with unhelpful thoughts and patterns. In our running this can help set the tone for a run and help us through when things are not going to plan or when we are getting tired. By choosing a positive mantra to repeat when we are running we can use the power of positive thought to help create more positive outcomes.

So I shared my rather embarrassing run mantra which I use when I start out to quiet down the “can’t crone” in my head. “I am strong, I am powerful and I can do this”. I may not fully believe this when I start but the more I choose to rest my focus on this the more I relax into the run and start to believe in myself. So when faced with a huge hill instead of the can’t crone ruling my head and me stopping half way up I have a tactic to quiet her down and then have more chance of making It further up or even to the top.

We looked at how we can employ a similar tool in our practice to help focus the mind in our asana work which will help to bring the mental space in our crowded chattering mind that can help us find more ease, both physically and mentally.

We may call it different things in yoga but this is all the same as sports psychology – employing mental tactics and tools to create those small changes and improvements. If we can use these in our chosen sport and see the benefits imagine how you can benefit from them in very day life…

This week we will continue our exploration of this and also start to look at how we can use visualisation to further this practice.

Look forward to seeing you on the mat!

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Live Pain Free – Your Peak Potential

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Yoga reclaims running for Alastair

I teach yoga to try and help other people make changes in body and mind so they are able to do more of the things they love.

Cathy Woods conquers manchester marathon with ChiRunning

My ChiRunning adventure began about 2 and a half years ago with my decision to run a marathon.

I enjoyed it!

Gray Caws tells us all about Oxygen Advantage

Gray Caws Personal Trainer | Director Chi Running UK and Ireland | Chi Running Master Coach | Oxygen Advantage Instructor

Qualifications:

The Can’t Crone – The Power of Positive Thought and Mantra

Using a mantra

Gray Caws
Personal Trainer | Director Chi Running UK and Ireland | Chi Running Master Coach | Oxygen Advantage Instructor