Corewalking Podcast: A Step in the Right Direction: Recent Episodes
Jonathan Fitzgordon and Alex Mabilon
Following three knee surgeries, and a year and a half of physical therapy, someone asked Jonathan Fitzgordon what he was doing to prevent a fourth surgery. When he realized the answer was "nothing", he created Corewalking, a program that shares how fixing your walk can change everything about your physical well-being for the better. By making minor changes to long-term patterns, major benefits can accrue. In this podcast series, Jonathan, along with co-host Alex Mabilon, share methods for living, moving and aging gracefully with discussions on walking, anatomy, functional fitness and so much more.
We discuss:
Fitter first bongo boards
Balance cushions
Beaded cabby seats
Yoga toes toe stretchers
Wearable toe stretchers
Ma roller
Theragun
Tennis elbow
Foam Roller (it band)
Rubber bands for finger stretches
Finger stretchers
Baoding Balls
Centripetal orb wrist trainer
Pickle ball
Worry stone
Ab Rollers
Large exercise Balls
We Talk About:
- Introducing New Cohost Caitlin.
- Rolling with a Tennis Ball.
- Getting outside early.
- Sleeping with the phone in another room.
- You don’t need to stretch if you are already loose.
- Neck orthotic.
- Acupressure mat.
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
- Bosu Ball
- Mobo Board
- Grip strength trainer
In this episode, we discuss:
The difficulties of meditation;
Why everyone should meditate on a daily basis, even for a few minutes;
Yoga and meditation;
This episode covers:
The anatomy of the IT band
IT Band syndrome and running
Fascia
Abdominal muscles
The effet of tight IT band on muscles surrounding it
Why a tight IT band affects your strut in walking and running
The psoas of course and its relationship to the IT band
This episode discusses kettlebells. Jonathan and Alex have both recently been training with kettlebells and loving the versatility of them. We talk about the Turkish get-up, the kettlebell swing, the kettlebell windmill and of course emphasize form. We also end up discussing shoes and posture (don't we always). Thanks for following us!
In this episode we talk about feet once again and more specifically about plantar fasciitis which affects many people at some point in their lives. We discuss the possible causes for the onset of plantar fasciitis, the anantomy of the foot and the leg and ho they relate to one another and to the plantar fascia and techniques to alleviate or "cure" plantar fasciitis.
In this episode, Jonathan and Alex discuss:
Yoga and flexibility versus mobility
Is hypermobility hereditary? Muscle adaptation Muscle imbalances in cyclists Back muscles and their responsibility in other injuries Supplements for hypermobility Hypermobility's effect on internal organs Glutes and their importance with regards to hypermobility Kettlebell training
This episode covers:
The role of the latissimus dorsi and other back muscles in posture
Having good posture all the time is a lot of work The role of quads and hip flexors in good posture Barefoot versus running shoes in the gym The T12-L1 junction and how to open up the middle back Posture, breath and physical energy About letting the arm hang from the shoulder and getting into athletic position How to learn to walk well for better overall physical functioning
-Proper running posture (and who actually needs to learn it)
-Running shoes and barefoot shoes
-IT band issues
-Other running injuries
-Breath, thoracic spine and running
-Meditation and exercise for wellness
In this podcast:
We discuss finding the optimal cycling posture for riding a bicycle pain-free.
We offer advice about how to best align each part of the body on a bike, from the feet all the way up to the head.
We talk about cycling gear, and the types of bikes out there and which might best suit you.
What is the benefit of electric bikes?
Jonathan and Alex are back at it talking about relaxation. Some of the topics we discuss in this episode:
• Lifestyle changes you can make to reduce stress
• Walking or biking as a form of meditation
• The fascinating subject of ASMR
• Moving toward a relaxing standing posture
• Constructive rest and exercises to help the body relaxed
• Relaxation "toys"
What we talked about:
- why the contents of Jonathan's midday smoothie are pure health;
- the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, raspberries and parsley;
- ways to boost your immune system through whole foods;
- the health benefits of juicing watermelon with its seeds and rind;
- medical mediums;
- why everyone needs to up their spice game;
- finding the right balance between junky food and foods that deliver pure health.
In the episode, Jonathan and Alex talk about the proper to rise into bridge pose and remain in the asana properly aligned. They go on to discuss what a student can learn from bridge pose, whether it is having her seat 2 inches from the ground or pushing way up through the pelvis. What does bridge pose have to do with standing and walking properly aligned? That’s in there too. And they talk about some of the myriad variations bridge pose can be done in and whether there are “therapeutic” uses to bridge pose.
In this episode we looked one of the most visited postures in the yoga world, downward facing dog. We talk about its numerous benefits, both physical and mental when practiced regularly. We also talk about how to slowly build up your downward dog practice for it to become a resting pose. It wouldn't be a Corewalking Podcast episode if we didn't speak about alignment so we focus on placement of hands and feet and how indicative your dog is of your standing posture.
In this episode:
-What biking has to do with tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis
-The fragile elbow's function, mechanics, and anatomy
-The wrist's and shoulder's role in elbow pain
-Exercises and stretches to appease angry tendons in the elbow
-Tennis elbow surgery: necessary or not?
-How to cure your lateral or medial epicondylitis and make it disappear forever (it takes work and core)
Today's topics of discussion:
• The set-up of the hinge joint that is the ankle
• Does the ankle rotate?
• Muscles involved in moving the ankle – and the importance of their tone
• The value of swelling and compression in healing from injury
• Tracking, bodywork, calf raises and other exercises for ankle protection and stability
• Core, core, core – even for ankle strength
• Ankle replacement, ankle fusion and other ankle surgeries
A few things we discuss in this episode:
• The anatomical highway interchange that is the knee
• The rotational capability of the knee and why it is important to the health of that joint
• The muscles that provide support for the knee joint and exercises for their balanced tone
• The kinds of injuries that can occur in the knees
• What to take into account when considering serious knee surgery
• Posture, posture, posture
• Exercises that can relieve knee pain and make your knee "stronger"
In this episode:
• We differentiate between the three gluteal muscles
• The birth of the gluteus maximus and the importance of the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus
• Everyone's need for a bigger butt
• Why the gluteus maximus becomes underactive; the relationship of the hamstrings to the gluteus maximus
• How muscles balance in the glutes can alleviate knee pain
• The glutes' role in proper posture for optimal pain relief
• Exercises to for balance and strength in the gluteal muscles
What we talk about:
• The coronavirus lockdown
• The relevance of the proximity of piriformis and the sciatic nerve in sciatica
• It's all about diagnosis (and self-diagnosis)
• Why posture, movement patterns and muscle tone matter with sciatica and piriformis syndrome
• The gluteal muscles and their relationship to sciatica/piriformis syndrome
• The importance of nerve flow
• Surgery and its effects on the piriformis and sciatic nerve
• Treatments for piriformis syndrome
• Exercises for relieving sciatica/piriformis syndrome
This episode features Alex and Jonathan chatting about:
-The anatomy of the hip socket and the importance of the alignment of the femur head within it
-The effect of external rotation on the muscles surrounding the hips
-The capital importance of muscle tone in the maintenance of healthy joints
-Hip replacement surgery: the good and the bad and how to avoid as long as possible
-Is it better to be tight-hipped or open-hipped?
-The pros and cons of stretching on muscle mass
-Exercises that can help us find neutral in the pelvis and hip socket
In this episode, we gab about:
-Chair yoga
-Modern sedentary culture
-Different types of seats and how to best use them
-How to treat chairs so as not to sit in them all day
-Illnesses linked to excessive sedentarism and lack of movement
-Tips to combat sitting too long
This episode features:
The evolution of our hanging shoulder
The shoulder and its relationship to the pelvis
The shoulder's role in sports injuries
The chest muscles and their relationship to the shoulder
Upper back muscles involved in the shoulder's proper functioning
The rotator cuff
Exercises to loosen, balance and strengthen the shoulder
Why we need another shoulder episode
We are talking about babies today, more specifically:
• Baby's developmental milestones (crawling)
• Walking and standing your children up
• Car seats, Bumbo seats, strollers, Exersaucers, etc... And their effect on baby's development
• Baby exercise
• Babies and sleep
• Diapers and elimination
Sleep and chronic pain, so much to talk about. Here's how the conversation breaks down:
• How sleep helps the body heal and repair and the effect chronic pain has on this magic power
• The most beneficial position for sleeping
• Ideal (and much less so) conditions for going to sleep
• How much sleep do we need and is age a factor in the amount of sleep we require?
• Exercise and its effects on sleeping
• Accessories and methods that aid in getting a good night's sleep
• Sleep disturbances and sleeping and peeing
• Short- and long-term effects of sleep deficit
In this episode, Alex and Jonathan exchange ideas about:
• Jonathan's social anxiety
• Methods and tips to deal with social anxiety
• Anxiety and its relationship to the sympathetic nervous system
• Chronic pain, anxiety and the exercises you can do for those econditions
• Physical cues to detect anxiety
• Can Corewalking help to relieve anxiety?
In this episode:
-The importance of posture and its direct relationship to foot health
-How walking barefoot is the best way to care for your ailing feet
-Other types of foot care to counter the negative effects of wearing shoes all the time
-Pronation and supination and whether shoes can help
-Sports, Lebron James, orthotics and how to use them properly
-The effects of poor foot health on the rest of the body
-The evil of flip-flops
In this episode Jonathan and Alex talk about:
-Jonathan's love of shoes
-How bad shoes are for you and your feet
-Barefoot shoes versus supportive shoes
-Running shoes and their effect on running technique
-Foot care for wearing constrictive and narrow shoes
-The benefits of having multiple pairs of shoes to wear regularly
In this episode:
-The divisions of the human nervous system
-Homeostasis, or balance, and the function of the nervous system in maintaining it
-Fear, flexion, the psoas, pain and their relationship to nervous system imbalances
-Exercises for restoring balance to your nervous system
In this episode:
-Where is the quadratus lumborum and what is its function in the body
-The effects of a tight quadratus lumborum on posture
-The relationship of the quadratus lumborum (QL) to other muscles in the pelvic bowl
-Issues with right- or left-hand dominance and how it affects the QL
-Exercises to release and strengthen the QL for better physical functioning
In this episode:
-The shapes and forms of different muscles
-How the form of a muscle is based on its function in the body
-Why we should aim to develop long, pliable muscles rather than trying to build hard muscle
-How subtle changes in exercises can target different muscles
-Tips and tricks to avoid injury when performing daily tasks like cooking
In this episode, Alex and Jonathan talk about:
• The cervical spine's job of holding up the head
• The direct relationship of the pelvis to the cervical portion of the spine
• The suboccipital muscles and the importance of their muscle tone in achieving good posture
• The design of the shoulder girdle and and how it should function in contrast with what conventional wisdom tells us
• The freedom of rotation of the cervical spine and the dangers it brings with it
• Core strength and how it can help avoid neck injuries
• Bulging and ruptured discs, stenosis and other ailments associated with poor cervical vertebral alignment
In this episode, Alex and Jonathan talk about:
• The cervical spine's job of holding up the head
• The direct relationship of the pelvis to the cervical portion of the spine
• The suboccipital muscles and the importance of their muscle tone in achieving good posture
• The design of the shoulder girdle and and how it should function in contrast with what conventional wisdom tells us
• The freedom of rotation of the cervical spine and the dangers it brings with it
• Core strength and how it can help avoid neck injuries
• Bulging and ruptured discs, stenosis and other ailments associated with poor cervical vertebral alignment
In this episode:
-What is the thoracolumbar junction of the spine?
-The curves of the spine (kyphosis and lordosis)
-The relationship of the spinal muscles and the abdominal muscles
-The effect of tight muscles at the thoracolumbar junction, like hamstrings, on breathing
-Exercises to loosen and strengthen the muscles of the back
-Releasing the spinal muscles release to get a fuller and better breath
-How optimizing the way you stand, walk and sit can help you find your best breath.
In this episode:
• What and where is the sacrum
• The sacrum and its relation to the curves of the spine
• Jonathan's four favorite joints and how they support the entire body
• The shoulder girdle and its relation to the sacrum
• Effects of a tight piriformis and a tight psoas
• Backbends in yoga and how they affect the sacrum
In this episode, we talk about:
-Jonathan's knee surgeries and how they could have been avoided
-Orthopedic surgeries, such as knee and hip replacements and whether or not to have them
-Failures and complications of certain orthopedic surgeries
-Complications that arise from general anaesthesia
-How to prepare your body, or prehab, for surgery
-Maintaining physical strength in order to withstand and rehabilitate from surgery and age gracefully
In this episode, we discuss:
What exactly the head is doing anatomically
Why virtually everyone has forward head posture
The curve of the neck, its responsibilities with regards to the head and how the muscles of shoulder affect the relative weight of the head
Why sitting makes forward head posture even worse
What long-term issues can arise from forward head posture, such as kyphosis and TMJD
Ways to begin getting your head to a better place
In this episode, we discuss:
-How the foot works with the rest of the body to walk.
-Foot problems such as plantar fasciatis, Morton's neuroma, flat feet, and others.
-The anatomy of the foot, its arches and the ankle.
-Shoes versus barefoot.
-How bad positioning of the feet when walking can lead to problems higher up the skeleton.
-Exercises to strengthen and release the feet.
In this episode, we discuss:
-3 reasons for which the psoas is the most important muscle in the human anatomy.
-The psoas is the emotional muscle of the body.
-Psoas release exercises.
-How to use the psoas correctly when walking, sitting or standing.
-Short-term effects and long-term issues associated with a tight psoas.
-Muscles that work together with the psoas to keep it healthy and functioning optimally.
In this episode, we discuss how Jonathan started his journey into teaching yoga and how he evolved into teaching people how to change their walk. We give cues on improving posture and relieving chronic pain, as well as talk about which muscles need to work together in order to walk optimally. Walking can help us age gracefully and we give four essential exercises that will build tone for walking correctly.