With the bar set high from yesterday’s adventure, I showed up after breakfast with one of my favorite students ever ready for more amazing discoveries about my body. We started out with a similar routine to yesterday focusing on my hips and talked a lot about the reactivity and muscle function in my feet. Kandice adjusted her plan for the day as we talked as she went to spend a few minutes feeling the muscles in my feet and calves. She discovered some interesting responses in my ankles and asked a colleague to look at them.
A few minutes later I watched as a trained chiropractor and massage therapist took their turns feeling and prodding my feet and calves. We talked about different approaches to stretching and adjusting blood flow below my knees. All these new ideas were great to talk about how I might change my future recovery practices.
Kandice also spent a lot of time nit-picking the details of my gait noticing that I don’t walk with a lot of weight on my arms, but I also rely on my quads more than I should. That practice has kept my glutes weak, and Kandice wants to wake them up and get them strong. We spent a lot of time walking forwards, backwards, and side to side today. It was incredibly hard for me to get my legs to move sideways, but the fact the muscles can do it at all is significant. Also, Kandice pointed out the fact that I can lift my legs backwards is huge. I lack a lot of confidence in those side and back movements, and it is connected to my balance issues, so we ended our session with time spent backed up against a wall moving my arms and keeping my weight held over my feet.
It’s hard, hard work, and I was worn out and ready to relax with my mentor Jen after therapy today. She took me out to Burgerville and Dutch Bros – Northwest goodness – and let me spend the rest of the day chilling with her and her husband, and I even got a little extra time with her daughter who I had breakfast with this morning. Yet again, I was so grateful to have the chance to work my body hard and let my heart be refreshed by time with this incredible family.
