I think it's pretty wonky that we (at least I) never studied anatomy in grade school. Honestly, what could be a more relevant, basic science than the study of this thing we live in? So to encourage a little personal continuing ed, here are three of my favorite books.
The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M. Elson
An easy way to learn because coloring is fun.
The Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain
This one is slightly dancer-centric, as noted by the leaping cover illustration. It's also a great bridge between what all these parts are and how they work. The occasionally silly pictures are just a great big bonus.
Trail Guide to the Body by Andrew R. Beil
Geared toward bodyworkers, this is still a great concrete guide to finding where all those muscles in the pretty pictures are on an actual body, like, you know, yours. I love this book.
Give yourself one for your birthday. And stars in your crown if you get 'em at your local independent book store.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
foot thoughts
My mother was dealing with plantar fasciitis a few years ago. For those of you unfamiliar with the condition (and just take a moment to thank your lucky stars as well as your feet if that is the case) it is an inflammation (itis) of the fascia (fasci) of the bottom of the foot (plantar). Isn’t Latin fun? We’ll spend some time in the future talking at length about fascia because it is some seriously cool stuff but for now let’s just get on with the story. What this condition boiled down to for my mom was searing pain on the bottoms of her feet every morning when she took her first few steps after getting out of bed. Not a good time to say the least. So as she was telling me her foot woes, she mentioned the impact that the whole situation was having on her mood every morning. She said that upon waking, she would just lay there for a while thinking hateful nasty thoughts at her feet, dreading the searing pain that she knew was coming.
I thought “hmmm…..”
Now, I certainly don’t believe that my mother’s thoughts created the condition in her feet. A number of different factors including bad shoes and bad luck created her plantar fasciitis. However I am quite sure that those moments before she got out of bed were not serving her or her feet in any way. Things get a little wonky when we start thinking of our bodies or parts of our bodies as the enemy. It’s easy to do because we don’t like pain and we don’t like illness (who would?) and it’s always convenient to have something to blame. But the truth is that the body is always trying to heal. It may need some help along the way but it is always trying. And you gotta give some props for that.
What if the foot conversation went something like this:
“Good morning feet. How are you guys doing? Just wanted to say thanks for carting me around all day yesterday. You guys rock. I know this plantar fasciitis business isn’t a cakewalk for you either. I know you are doing your best to heal and I’m going to help out in any way I can. So lets wiggle those toes and roll those ankles and get everything warmed up and stretched out a little before we stand up and start this day, ok? Alright, team, here we go…”
Possible results? Well, we’ve got a good shot at less pain because the stretching and movement will loosen the fascia before standing up. And at the very least there’s the added bonus of not starting the day in a big old moody funk. Not bad.
When we think kindly of our bodies, we tend to use them with more awareness and care. It’s well worth doing because, let’s face it, this is the crew we’ve got. It behooves us to do what it takes to get along. Especially if what it takes is just a thought.
I thought “hmmm…..”
Now, I certainly don’t believe that my mother’s thoughts created the condition in her feet. A number of different factors including bad shoes and bad luck created her plantar fasciitis. However I am quite sure that those moments before she got out of bed were not serving her or her feet in any way. Things get a little wonky when we start thinking of our bodies or parts of our bodies as the enemy. It’s easy to do because we don’t like pain and we don’t like illness (who would?) and it’s always convenient to have something to blame. But the truth is that the body is always trying to heal. It may need some help along the way but it is always trying. And you gotta give some props for that.
What if the foot conversation went something like this:
“Good morning feet. How are you guys doing? Just wanted to say thanks for carting me around all day yesterday. You guys rock. I know this plantar fasciitis business isn’t a cakewalk for you either. I know you are doing your best to heal and I’m going to help out in any way I can. So lets wiggle those toes and roll those ankles and get everything warmed up and stretched out a little before we stand up and start this day, ok? Alright, team, here we go…”
Possible results? Well, we’ve got a good shot at less pain because the stretching and movement will loosen the fascia before standing up. And at the very least there’s the added bonus of not starting the day in a big old moody funk. Not bad.
When we think kindly of our bodies, we tend to use them with more awareness and care. It’s well worth doing because, let’s face it, this is the crew we’ve got. It behooves us to do what it takes to get along. Especially if what it takes is just a thought.
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