A time to be humble -Ataxia - if you can't fix it, find someone that can
Do you find yourself stumbling, tripping, falling often? Do you find that crossing the road is sometimes a risk of being hit? I found myself in this position, once running for charities and looking at myself seeing the people I used to train in the gym except this time I was faced with serious coordination, problems and as flexible as a plank wood. One day, turning a corner, a man and dog stood in my way so I went to walk around them only finding myself on my back in the road. It was here I realised if I did not do something about my walking, I could very well find myself horizontal. I workout almost every other day, and knew there had to be an answer to this balance problem; however, it was time to eat ''humble pie' and see a fitness trainer who knew about flexibility.
Sam Connelly is a Personal Training and Pilates Instructor who focuses on mobility and strength to help people feel more mobile, free from pain and generally happier in their own body. - after a brief discussion with him, we hit common ground and I found myself hopeful that I could gain more control of my balance.
‘ When Jason first came to me he was feeling baffled as to how he could better cope with his condition. That’s where I came in, I noticed in our first session together Jason lacked a wide range of movement and flexibility which is what led me to believe before we even start any stability or strength training, we need to get him more mobile. One of his main issues was walking, he was very unstable and couldn’t walk in a straight line so the first thing I did was check his movement pattern when walking, then tried to introduce heel to toe walking which provides more stability from the base as you use more of the foot to push off from. ‘
‘In our next 4-5 sessions we mainly went through exercises that help open up the hips to try and get the pelvis to sit in a more natural position, which will allow his hips to move freely. This then relates to his walking as his hips are no longer tight now, he has more control of his movements.’.
The exercises that I was given, are great for stretching and loosening up, I am by far ready for the tight rope however every day I feel as though I am improving as exercises can be done anywhere, Sam told me to do the exercise upon waking and before going to bed however for now, doing them before bed is exhausting enough and so I continue to train with my next objective being to have the energy to go through my training resume before bed and upon waking, the stretches I am presently doing before bed are;
Lying Hamstring Stretch with Band - 1. Lie on your back with one leg extended on the floor. 2. Loop a resistance band or strap around the arch of the opposite foot. 3. Keeping the leg straight, gently pull it towards your chest. 4. Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds, then switch legs. | Hamstrings, Calves
Seated Glute Stretch - 1. Sit with legs extended in front of you. 2. Bend one knee and cross it over the opposite extended leg. 3. Place the opposite arm on the bent knee and twist your torso towards the bent knee. 4. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides. | Glutes, Lower Back
Deep Lunge Stretch - 1. Start in a lunge position with one foot forward and the other leg extended back. 2. Lower your hips toward the floor, feeling the stretch in the hip flexors. 3. Keep your chest lifted and shoulders relaxed. 4. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then switch legs. | Hip Flexors, Quadriceps, Hamstrings
Child’s Pose - 1. Kneel on the floor, bringing your big toes together and knees apart. 2. Sit back on your heels and extend your arms forward on the floor. 3. Lower your forehead to the ground, relaxing your neck and shoulders. 4. Breathe deeply and hold for 30-60 seconds. | Lower Back, Hips, Shoulders
Sam summarises ‘Jason can now walk much
further without pain and is so much more stable.
He has really come a long way in 8 weeks with me, and I’m proud of the work we have achieved together. I have a few before and after videos I wanted to share so you can see the difference for yourselves!’
Without doubt this guy was a godsend. If you want help getting out of pain and moving more freely, then please message or email him on the details at the end of this article, if you live in The Surrey area, you may well be lucky enough to find he has some time to help you back to stability, if nothing else he can point you in the right direction.
don’t sit there wondering how to deal with this, pick up the phone and call, text or email Sam at the details below.
07763180861
Instagram: Strongandaligned1