Category: Friday with Friends

Today I am talking about mindful eating in the sense of what mindful actually means, which is to bring awareness toward something. As a yoga teacher and lover of movement, plus a background in physical therapy, I do receive a lot of questions regarding nutrition and eating. Though I am not a nutritionist, I do love studying it and talking about it, and that’s just what I’ll be sharing today!

What do I consider a daily food essential?

Water is an absolute essential for me, as it has such an impact on how I feel and what I eat. The food essential of mine is that I have are greens every single day! These make me feel good and energized each day.

What are my opinions about an anti-inflammatory diet?

The gut biome is super important, and it’s important to get your gut biome figured out, that way you don’t have to depend on any specific types of diets. Certain types of foods, such as acidic foods, are going to be inflaming to your body as well. In my opinion, consuming whole foods is the best way to eat and maintain a healthy gut.

Why do you do intermittent fasting?

With intermittent fasting, you are giving your entire digestive system support by giving it a rest, which in turn helps it restore and heal other systems within the body. I’ve been doing this for a while by tuning into when I was actually feeling hungry, and really listening to that.

Mindfulness is about noticing what you’re eating, it’s not about being perfect. Be mindful by watching and observing your instincts towards how you eat and when you eat, and if something triggers you, ask yourself why you are eating it. What is the emotion fueling the need for that food?

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!

Today’s solo episode is short and sweet! I’m offering a few tips on how to maintain sanity while you’re out of movement commission due to an injury. I get this question a lot, whether the injury is through overuse or an accident. When a routine includes movement, but something happens that restricts that, it can be a really difficult time. It is my hope that today’s episode provides you help on navigating this pause in movement for you!

This all really does depend on the way in which your injury occurred. If the injury happened through overuse, then you need to ensure when you go back to your movement patterns, you don’t do the same thing again.

What does resting look like?

Firstly, continue to move in the ways that you can that won’t bother the area you are resting. Changing your scenery will help tremendously with your headspace, and with pain management. If you are extremely restricted, try to place your focus on something else. Think about a project you may have in the back corners of your mind, and use this as an opportunity to start working on it.

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!

Today’s podcast episode is all about moving better through your breath! Breathing is essential for our life, and breathing is going to happen regardless of if we pay attention to it or not, so why not make shifts to breathe better? In the episode today, I’m sharing simple anatomy so that you understand how breathing takes place, and also ways that you can breathe better in and out of your movement practice.

While sitting, if you line up your shoulder complex over your pelvis, you can picture the contents in between that work with your breathing patterns. The diaphragm is extremely important because its found attached to many different parts of the body, and acts as both the floor and the ceiling of our main organs.

When we inhale, the breath goes up into the thoracic cavity, the diaphragm is pulled down into the pelvis; this is the expansiveness of breath. When we exhale, the diaphragm then returns. In restricting the natural movement of the diaphragm, we are actually weakening it.

How do we breathe better?

Stand and sit up tall– use your hands to help track your breath.

Why is it important to breathe well?

1. It’s improving your posture
2. It’s strengthening your posture
3. It’s helping your nervous system– your stress levels

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara
• Online LYT Daily yoga classes with Lara: movementbylara.vhx.tv

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!

I’m so excited for today’s episode because my brother, John Frank, is back on the podcast! John and I are sharing tips for the foot and knees, as well as ways to help with plantar fasciitis. The foot is always a much asked about topic within the community, and John has so much knowledge– this episode is sure to help you in your better movement patterns!

What is plantar fasciitis and what causes it?

It’s near the connective tissue of the heel or the inner arch, where there is localized pain, especially when you step on it. Shoes that have an elevated heal can really shorten the area, which can cause the plantar fasciitis. It’s also important to remember that the plantar fascia is not the area that causes heel spurs. Besides wearing better shoes for your feet, keeping your toes aligned is also very important, as well as massaging and stretching out your calves.

What is a heel spur?

When there is too much tension in an area, the stem cells come in to create more bone or collagen in an area in an attempt to stop you from doing what you’re doing.

Can people with meniscal tears practice yoga and strengthening techniques?

Yes! Be sure to control the twisting of the knee, which is where those tears can occur. These meniscal problems arise when people cannot control the hip, knee, and ankle. A traditional vinyasa may not be the best route because there is a lot of stressed placed on the knee. Trying different yoga poses until you find an alternative way to complete the pose without pain is a great exercise to try.

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara
• Online LYT Daily yoga classes with Lara: movementbylara.vhx.tv

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!

We talk about finding smarter and safer movement patterns on my podcast and platforms daily, but for today I am speaking fully from my physical therapy perspective. I’ll be speaking about how to use the core correctly, from the PT perspective of just what the purpose of the core is for.

The core is more than the abdominal wall. Defining the core, for me, is understanding that it’s everything in the center of your body. That’s a lot to take care of!

My Top Tips:

1. Recruit all of the core muscles collaboratively so that the whole core is strong
2. Fine-tune the resting muscle tone
3. Learn to activate the glutes better
4. Stand on both legs, slightly bend the knees like you’re going into a squat, and then straighten. After multiple times of this, attempt to dial your feet out (like they are on paper plates)– see how this feels in the glutes.

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara
• Online LYT Daily yoga classes with Lara: movementbylara.vhx.tv

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!

Today’s solo episode is all about how to use core stability when you are hypermobile. Hypermobile people may fill a small category, but they will actually suffer more injuries in yoga due to their bigger ranges of motion within their movement practices. Being bendy in yoga is beautiful, just as any practice is, but without proper attention and care, those with hypermobility can suffer great injury.

What does it mean to be hypermobile?

Hypermobile people have excess laxity in their joints, therefore they have a lot of “give” in their ranges of motion in some or all of their joints. The receptors within the muscles can be delayed, or nonexistent.

The core:

Your core’s biggest job is to transfer energy. Hypermobile people need to get rigid in their core in order to help avoid getting into big ranges of motion.  

How do you think rigid?

You need to get a neutral spine. Dial up your awareness in your brain so that when you start moving, you won’t immediately become the elastic band. Over time your awareness will improve because you are working your muscles to help. A plank position will really help this awareness.

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara
• Online LYT Daily yoga classes with Lara: movementbylara.vhx.tv

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!

I get a lot of questions from listeners, yoga teachers, and followers I have on social media quite often, so I wanted to take today to answer a few of them. My hope is that in answering these on my podcast, this helps someone else as well!

Is it okay to massage sore muscles aggressively?

Massaging mobilizes the soft tissue around a space, but the intention is not to dig in and clear something, it’s to free it. There are different, non-aggressive, techniques you can do to free up that soreness or tightness.

What are tight hip flexors?

Where the thigh meets up at the crease of your hip joint, there are different muscles here that flex your hips. There are a lot of muscles that are considered hip flexors, so the term “tight hip flexors” is very broad. Sitting for long periods of time can create this feeling. By getting into a neutral pelvis, then activating the inner thighs, and get your pelvis leveled. This can help alleviate the tension.

What made you decide to lead the life you do?

I feel like I was pretty clear in my mind and life about what I wanted to do, plus I had incredible support. I knew that wellness brought me such happiness, and that I could never and would never do a desk job. I led with my heart, and continue to do so.

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara
• Online LYT Daily yoga classes with Lara: movementbylara.vhx.tv

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!

Today’s podcast is all about lifting your arms pain free and easily, which may sound simple, but this isn’t necessarily the case. We were born to be able to lift our arms up and above us, as well as around in a complete circle, but a lot of people struggle with this movement. In today’s conversation, I’m sharing how to get your arms to be able to complete this movement, and why it’s so important.

The movements that occur in the shoulder alone are extremely complex, making the act of reaching the arm up towards the ceiling complex in its own right. For those who don’t have the best posture, or don’t keep the shoulder and surrounding shoulder specific muscles engaged, they could have a difficult time reaching their arms up and above themselves.

To reach our arms up, we need to:

• Work on our posture
• Stand taller
• Allow mobility in the scapula
• Stability in the scapula

What is required to bring your arm up overhead?

Better posture. To go from your arm at 90 degrees, to your arm in line with your ear, this requires movement at the scapula. It’s in the area from the last 90 – 180 degrees that something can be compressed, even without you knowing. This is more widely known as rotator cuff syndrome.

How do we remedy this?

At 90 degrees, reach your arm straight out in front of you with your thumb turned up; now reach forward more, elongating your arm– reach from your scapula, and now reach up overhead.

Resources:

• Check out: movementbylara.com
• Instagram: @lara.heimann
• Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara
• Online LYT Daily yoga classes with Lara: movementbylara.vhx.tv

Today’s episode is sponsored my LYT Daily online yoga classes. This is an exclusive pass into my personal practice and program that I created from my experience as a physical therapist and 20 years developing my LYT yoga methodology. There is a different class with me everyday – including special monthly live streams – so you can feel your most LYT up – anytime and anywhere. Get a 3 day free trial today by going to movementbylara.com and clicking “daily classes.” Let’s get moving!