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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Lead with your hips

The other day, in physical therapy, one of the assistants happened to watch me walk from one machine to another. She told me that I was walking much better but was still leaning too much, humped over. She said to "lead with your hips".

I am sure that this is advice given to many. Yet this is the first time I had heard it. One of my physical therapists, back in 2011, was intent on helping me walk straighter and I really tried and continue to try literally years after, yet I keep catching myself walking hunched over. When I see myself reflected I try to straighten myself out but clearly I needed another way to approach this. When Carmen said "lead with your hips" I knew she had given me a gift that might make a huge difference in my life.

Remembering this simple bit of advice really has helped. I straighten up naturally when I do this. My whole body, not just my shoulders, for example.

Other news on the home front: my hip feels completely normal now, except that there is a tiny bit of discomfort when I put on my right shoe. Less and less, though. I no longer sleep with a pillow between my legs. My legs rarely are the cause of a sleepless night. I use restless leg medication rarely now. My knees are just the tiniest bit straighter. Still working on that.