Mindful Health SLO

**Therapy Thursday** Isolated Mid-Thoracic Extension (Mid-back Strengthening)... Just a quick tutorial to help you improve the strength of your back and prevent forward flexed posture.... 1. Child’s pose position- sitting on your calves with knees flexed, fold your spine forward rounding over your thighs and resting you head on the floor. This flexed position of your low back will lock your Lumbar spine (prevent it from moving and assisting you) and will allow you to focus on your Thoracic spine (mid-back) extension strength. 2. Hands can be on the floor in front of you, palms down, to use hands to assist in lifting you up. For more of a challenge, rest your hands on the small of your back. 3. Retract your head. This does not mean flex or extend your neck instead, try to pull your head back as if touching the back of your head to a headrest behind you. This will stabilize (lock) your Cervical spine. This will also put tension on your posterior fascia, giving you a mechanical advantage when extending your spine. 4. Lastly, lift your body off of your thighs. Keep your head retracted. Try not to let your rear-end lift off of your legs. Think about extending your spine by using the muscles along your spine in the area where your shoulder blades are- just below the spine of the scapula to about an inch below the scapula (T5-T10). Picture the area that a bra strap covers. 5. Slowly fold back over your thighs, allowing your mid back to round forward to starting position. This is the mid-thoracic region and is difficult to target because most positions do not isolate it from the rest of your spine. This is a nice little exercise to perform that allows you to extend your spine against gravity. It should be challenging if done correctly! 20x 3 sets Or try to perform slowly and consistently for 1min straight. (Stop if you are unable to control your technique). If you don’t feel it in your middle back, make sure your low back is flexed and your head is retracted. Re-set and try again. Enjoy!!!!

There are a few spots remaining for this months FREE SPORTS INJURY SCREENS. Why should you get screened? Pain is your body’s way of signaling that something is wrong... Working out in pain means you are promoting further inflammation Chronic inflammation can result in long term damage to joints Pain results in altered movement patterns Dysfunctional movement patterns can result in unnecessary wear and tear on your body, poor energy efficiency, and increase your risk of further injury Pain is NOT weakness leaving your body. ... It is a neuro chemical response in your body communicating that you have possible tissue damage, impaired joint mobility, faulty movement patterns resulting in an impingement, altered motor unit recruitment patterns, muscle imbalances, or possibly an overuse injury that simply needs rest. Stop guessing what is causing your pain. Have a professional assessment to determine if you need to stop or modify your activity. Oh yeah and it’s FREE! DM for updated availability Be MINDFUL about your HEALTH

The THIRD step 3Support Your Immune System By now you may have started taking the recommended supplements, and even switched up your skin care routine . But what else can you do to improve your body’s resistance to these nasty bacteria making a home under your skin? ... The key to resolving acne is the same as it is for any other inflammatory condition.... Lower your inflammation! Acne is inflammation in your sebaceous glands triggered by your immune system to fight off pathogens. The third and final step to putting a stop to your maskne breakouts is to lower your inflammation. You can do this by minimizing your intake of pro-inflammatory foods. sugar alcohol dairy corn caffeine fried foods highly processed grains refined seed oils (high omega-6) low quality animal fats Don’t worry This isn’t forever! Just long enough to allow your body time to heal. It is really beneficial to reduce your exposure to foods that are high in trans-fats, refined sugars, have a high glycemic response, are high in omega6’s, or high in toxin containing animal fats. These are good rules to follow in general, but especially important in times of healing Whether it be from an injury, surgery, gut infection, wound, or even acne. Because these foods tend to set off an inflammatory cascade- the more exposure you have, the slower your body will be at healing because your immune system is being activated. By focusing on an organic, clean, whole food based diet, your body will get more of the nutrients it needs to heal and less of the things that are making the condition worse. Also make sure to get enough water. Our skin loves water. That’s where the term fountain of youth comes from Set a goal of 1/2 your body weight (lbs) in ounces of water per day. Example: 160lb person should drink 80oz water per day. Lastly, make sure you are getting enough sleep. Poor sleep is also very pro-inflammatory. Our bodies heal at night. So shoot for a minimum of 7hr per night. If you can get one day/wk where you can sleep in and let your body wake without an alarm clock, you will see a noticeable improvement in your skin quality that day. Food Water Sleep

SECOND Step: 2 Proper Skin Care Our skin is our largest organ. It has it’s own microbiome. It is our first defense against pathogens. Healthy skin is important to a healthy lifestyle. Let’s look after it!... This is a brief summary click the link in biofor full blog post for step by step instructions. Open Pores Use clean warm towels draped over your face, or use actual steam. Allow steam to gently open your pores for 5-10min Draw out impurities Do not exfoliate yet if you have active pimples. Use a SULFUR SOAP to help dry out the pimples while naturally pulling out bacteria and debris from pores. (I use Grisi brand from Amazon) Support the skin’s natural Microbiome Rather than applying a topical microbiome product (finding the right one for you can be tricky), I encourage removal of your mask as much as possible. The CO2 trapped inside of our mask promotes overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria. Remove your mask when not necessary Reduce Inflammation Splash cold water after cleansing routine to calm skin, close pores, and reduce inflammation. I recommend using a product with B3 (active niacin, or nicotinimade). @metabolicmaintenance has a skincare line called Naturally Clear that makes a topical spray. Use after cleansing. Do this at night when you can keep your mask off. Try to minimize use of products under your mask besides things that protect your skin’s barrier Exfoliate Only recommended if you stopped having active eruptions. Once your acne is a bit dryer, then you can start using a product with gentle exfoliant. Use something with a small amount of grittiness to mechanically debride the skin and remove dead skin cells. My favorite is another Naturally Clear product called Scrub, because it also contains B3 Protect Barrier After your skincare routine, apply a thin layer of a hypoallergenic non-pore clogging lotion or serum. This will reintroduce a moisture layer to your skin to protect it from the constant rubbing of the mask Avoid scarring Any red areas on the skin will permanently remain red if exposed to UV rays. When outdoors without your mask, please apply your favorite face sunblock. Zinc products are preferred.

The FIRST step: 1STOP THE OIL PRODUCTION VITAMIN B5 (aka Pantothenic Acid) is well established for adrenal support, energy production, and for supporting production of melatonin. And it is also as effective as the drug Accutane in treating acne. While Accutane shrinks sebaceous glands, Pantothenic reduces oil production by increasing coenzyme A, which increases the metabolic breakdown of oils, including sebum. It is also associated with skin softening (hence why you somet...imes see it in ‘hair-skin-nails’ formulas). L- CARNITINE helps convert fat to energy. It is a cofactor that is required for the metabolism of fats and their transport into the mitochondria, where they undergo oxidation and produce energy in the cell. It is an important amino acid for heart muscle function and helps to maintain healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. By enhancing the metabolism of fats and oils, you ultimately reduce excess sebum produced by the skin. Less sebum means less food for acne-causing bacteria, which means less acne. VITAMIN B3 (aka Niacinamide or Nicotinamide) works as an anti-inflammatory. Niacinamide is used in some skin care products to improve epidermal barrier function, improve pigment disorders, and slow the signs of aging. Nicotinamide can be used both orally and topically. (More on this in a future post). While Pantothenic Acid and L-Carnitine optimize the breakdown of fats released by the sebaceous gland, reducing congestion and preventing acne from forming, Niacinamide is beneficial for its anti-inflammatory effects. This combination is effective enough to help with most cases of acne, even severe or of long duration. I use a similar protocol for treating hormone-related acne and it is a very effective approach for those deep cystic type of pimples. Here is the Protocol: Take orally: Pantothenic acid 500 mg 1-3x day L-carnitine 250mg 1-3x a day Niacinamide 500 mg 1x a day *As always, start low and go slow. Start with 1x/day for mild cases. Increase to 2x/day if no improvement seen after 1wk. Increase to 3x/day for the most stubborn cases. Don’t forgot your BEFORE pictures!!

Face coverings have become a new way of life for us. And it is starting to wreak havoc on our skin. Many of us have started experiencing dermatitis and acne in the areas covered by our masks. Initially I thought that my mask might have been dirty and I accidentally introduced some sort of bacteria to my skin. But as time went on, and the weather became warmer, my mask-acne (maskne) became worse!... After noticing that it was not clearing up on its own, I realized that there might be more to it than that.... Wearing a covering over our faces actually creates a new ecosystem on our skin. This dark and moist environment is high in CO2 and low in O2. This type of ecosystem is prime for proliferation of pathogens. So any sort of bacteria that does get introduced to your face from your mask has a perfect environment to thrive. Then of course, the more we try to clean and strip our face to unclog our pores, the more we strip away the healthy microbiome and the barrier layer that normally exists on our skin to protect us. The best way to protect your skin against pathogens is to: 1. Support the function of your skin rather than stripping it 2. Choose a mask that is breathable and made of natural fibers 3. Avoid inflammatory food triggers such as dairy, sugar, and alcohol 4. Start from the inside by making sure your digestion is on track and your stress levels are under control. These may be contributing to ongoing acne 5. Supplement with specific nutraceuticals to reduce sebum production, lower inflammation, and promote healing to avoid scarring Prior to starting this, I felt like there was no end in sight. My pores were so clogged. Every day seemed to bring another swollen angry pimple deep under the surface.... I have put together some really helpful strategies to improve your skin function, promote a thriving defense system, and to help you calm and reverse any current breakouts you might be experiencing. Be on the lookout over the next week as I bring you a 3-part series to help you put a stop to the breakouts!!! I can’t wait to see the BEFORE and AFTER pictures!! I can’t wait to see the before an