August 14, 2009

Small Changes Can Create Big Results

I was reminded this week how much small changes can create big results, especially when it comes to body mechanics.

It all started with a new bike ride purchased to hold all 4 bikes including my husband's non-traditional shaped recumbant bike. I was thrilled! Finally we could once again go on family rides…and off we went. Long story short is that to get my bike on the rack, the seat had to be lowered. Doesn't sound problematic at first glance but here comes the issue - it took me two weeks of trial and error and even a visit to the bike shop for professional fitting to get my seat back into it's proper place.

I know, you're thinking, "how hard can it be to get a bike seat into position?" Well, let me tell you, when you ride a bike for 20+ miles several times a week, the position of the seat, and therefore the position of your legs and which muscles you are using, makes a HUGE difference. Since I bike with the shoes that clip into the pedal, which do help keep the body in good position and uses less effort, where the seat goes affects the angle of my legs into the clips and thus affects how the different leg muscles are being used.

For two weeks my seat was a tad too low which put my body in a mis-aligned position which resulted in my left hamstring and calf muscles being overly tightened and giving me annoying pain in the leg and lower buttocks. Not fun. The good news is that this morning I think I stumbled on the magic bike seat place…and you can bet that I'm taking my sharpie marker and tape out to make sure I don't ever lose this spot again. My ride was easier, my leg doesn't hurt, and I feel great for the most part.

There is still some residual imbalance in my pelvis and my leg muscles from the ongoing, though short-term misalignment which I'm correcting with a chiropractic adjustment for the pelvis, followed up with a rolfing session to work out the rest of the muscle kinks. And I'm continuing to stretch the tight muscles at home. Since I know my body, I know these tools work for me.

Today's message can be applied to more aspects of life than just posture alignment. If something doesn't feel right and you are getting symptoms cuing you to make a change, it might be that a subtle shift could be the answer. What small changes are you needing to make to feel more at ease in your body and your life?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Jamie Durner, BodyMind Coach™, holds multiple certifications across the health and wellness disciplines including Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, Registered Kundalini Yoga Teacher, and Credentialed Coach. She is the creator of the “Total Self Mastery” group coaching program and publishes “Healing and Harmony” monthly Ezine and blog with easy-to-use, FREE tips to move beyond chronic imbalance and into healing and harmony (sign up at www.jamiedurner.com). She is a contributing author of the book “Yoga in America”, to HealthWise Magazine, and is one of the Expert Authors for HealthyWomanGuide.com. She is also the yoga expert and instructor for Your Health Professional online professional exercise program.