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I love the little breaks I get from the hustle and bustle of LA. A breath of fresh air if you will. Every other month I drive up the 395 to beautify the mountains in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
I style at Profiles salon, which is above the best second hand store in town and next to a brand new bowling alley and entertainment center (currently the talk of the town). This is the view we have in the cozy three chair salon on the second floor. Being in there never feels like work. I'm surrounded by majestic beauty of nature. Mammoth has so much to offer aside from the best skiing and snowboarding in California. There are great trails for hiking and biking, camping, fishing, boating, bird watching...the list goes on. The lakes are gorgeous. And there are lots of great eateries in town. All of this is a 5 hour drive from LA, 8000 feet elevation and 15-20 degrees cooler. Thank you Mammoth for all that you have to offer!
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What a weekend! There were two major events this is weekend in LA. These events included two major street closures. Both of which I was able to participate in.  Saturday June 22, 2013 was the LA Culture Festival. A 2.5 mile parade down Hollywood Blvd stretching from Vermont to Cherokee. The parade is a collaboration of carnival festivities from Central and South America. It's basically 4-5 hours of dancing to soca music with a fantastic feathery carnival costume. At the end of the parade, there is a block party called " Carnival Village" featuring live music, authentic food, vendors, and of course more dancing. Last year was my first time supporting this event in LA. Now I will always support this event. It's just getting better every year!  Sunday June 23, 2013 was yet another Ciclavia event. This time it was 7 miles of the iconic Wilshire corridor that was closed to motorized vehicles and used for bicycles. This was a great way to view this historic part of LA. I got to appreciate the detail in the buildings as well as get to know (new to me) businesses in the area . We rode our bikes all day long. From Echo Park to LACMA to Little Tokyo. I got acquainted with tasty new places to eat in K-town (including 24 hour tofu restaurant and 24 hour coffee shop with wifi), had a picnic at Hancock Park overlooking the tar pits, and made a personalized bicycle license plate at the Pettersen Automotive Museum. These are just a few highlights. We did so much more while meeting up with other riders and friends throughout the day. I'm always looking forward to Ciclavia. The next event is October 6, 2013, The Heart of LA including Chinatown! See you there.
My new obsession...working out on a trampoline. I can't believe everyone is not doing this. With all the research I have done, it seems to be the most simple and fun workouts when I don't feel like going to the gym, a class, or outside.
This thing I grew up with as a kid. Taking up very little space. Played on it for a little while and then it just hung out against the wall, under a bed, in a closet, and finally, after several years, it was given away. I actually broke my left arm jumping off of it with my dress shoes on. Little did I know how much I missed it. It's excellent for your lymphatic system as well as a number of other benefits for the whole body. Personally I need no to low impact exercises and a mini trampoline is just the thing for me. I can rebound while watching a show (perfect distraction of time). Work out to one of many videos like the one above. Or take my mini rebounder out in the yard while getting fresh air. It helps my circulation from being on my feet all day. I read somewhere that eight minutes of rebounding is equivalent to running a mile!! I know!! Crazy right? Just two minutes every hour boosts your white blood cells. I'm happy I finally know how wonderful rebounding is for my body. Not a day goes by that I don't use it...even for a minute. ;) The intention of this session is to lenghthen the back side line and to restore movement to the sacrum. I had to get reaquainted with my body a little bit more after session six. It didn't take long though. Afterwards, I felt like a well oiled machine! I now realize how sessions 4,5,and 6 should be done soon after each other. Apparently session six, for most, is more relaxing. Hardly any movement is called for and you are laying on your stomach the whole time. For me...this was the most intense so far. I've heard people talk about "pain" while undergoing "rolfing" or Structural Integration (SI). It's not about the pain. It's about being and feeling like a new, well balanced body, free from pain. The amount of intensity I have felt during my sessions so far does not amount to how I'm feeling now...free! I'm experiencing ease of movement and better posture, especially with the sitting and standing movement exercises I try to remember on a daily basis. By the way, I'm getting a seat wedge for driving. I want to maintain comfort in my newly aligned structure ;) It keeps your body upright while driving. It's good for any and every seat...but I'm not going to be that anal and take it everywhere. Today, about a week after session 6, I had a pretty good work out. Way more than I've had in months...and it felt wonderful. I did my work out with such ease. I was extremely impressed. I thought for sure I'd be out of breath and have some tightening somewhere in my body. But no! The rotation in all my joints were smooth. Especially in my hips, back, and shoulders. More info about Structural Integration visit ramadavis.com   Session 5 focuses on connecting the upper body to the lower body through the pelvis (the psoas muscles (so-az). Talk about core. Not only do I feel like I have a new stride from my pelvic region, I have a new set of lower abs! This session was intense and nothing like I've ever felt. To actually focus on lifting my leg from the psoas muscles is really cool. Being able to recognize these muscles gives a whole new meaning to movement through daily activity and especially exercise. Today I learned that we are suppose to lift our leg through these psoas muscles and most of us usually use our quad muscles to do this. Walking around for the first time after session 5, I noticed more of a smooth sway in my hips and knees... **break into song...knee bone connected to my thigh bone, my tjight bone connected to my hip bone, hip bone connected to my...stay tuned for session 6. ;) I also notice that my whole legs and feet point forward when I walk. My legs stack up perfectly on my feet when I move. And of course the word of the session...Psoas! I definitely notice my psoas muscles are at work lifting my legs up to move with ease. About the lower abs...with the work that is done to get to your psoas muscles, your abs look a bit more sculpted. You'll know what I mean once you get to this session. By the way, this session should be done soon after session 4. And also, make sure you have enough time after this session (5) to go for a short walk and try out your new lower half! I'll be back to tell ouy about session 6 soon. Until then you can check out www.ramadavis.com for more info on SI.   Did I mention how I can feel how each session build on the one before? Well session four gave me new legs. Still focusing on seperating the front from the back...this time on the legs. It's amazing what heels can do to your whole line. I am a huge fanatic of heels. And ladies, I highly recommend wearing flats to this session. I made the mistake of wearing not sooooo high heels and it felt foriegn walking out of the office. I immediately changed into a pair of flats I had in the car. My posture feels even more in line. I have knee problems and, after completing this session, It already feels like something has been aleviated. It's hard to explain. There is a noticable difference in the way I walk and even the way my foot steps and rolls off the ground. At the end of the session. Rama did some work on freeing up my vertabrae so that it would actually "roll" instead of just bending at my lower back. And of course, more movement excercises. How to properly sit from a standing position. I'm almost to the half way point of the series and I'm thrilled to experience such fulfilling changes in my body. ...A few days after this session, I notice my "old posture" was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable. Before session 5 I found it easier to adapt to my new upright posture. Still practicing my movement excercises. For more information on SI visit www.ramadavis.com   During session three of SI, I saw and felt a huge difference in my body. I felt like I got new shoulders. My posture and stance feels upright. You can tell in the before and after photos. HUGE difference! These before and after photos were taken before and immediately after the session. Approximately a difference of one and a half hours. This session focuses on seperating the front from the back. Not only did Rama do that, he put my shoulders back where they need to be, which allows my head to fit on my body better. My torso was lengthened, which I totally need. Session three is where I became more aware of how my structure and how it is compromised through repetitive daily movements. Rama demonstrated for me movement excersises that involed how to properly stand up from a seated position. That was my homework... A few days later, when I was at work, I noticed that I didn't have that normal tightening sensation in my back or shoulders while blowdrying. I can feel how each session builds on the one before. For more information on Structural Integration (SI) visit www.ramadavis.com   I went in for my second session of Structural Integration (aka Rolfing). This session focuses on the part of the leg from below the knees to the feet. I must say..."I have new feet". I don't feel like I have new feet...I _actually _have _NEW_ feet!
I never thought about how much abuse my feet takes. Standing. Heels. Standing in heels all day. I learned the fascia in our feet crystalize over time. This process gets rid of that build up. After an intense session, my lower leg and feet feel and look extremely relaxed! My toes even rest in a relaxed position when I'm standing or sitting. I highly recommend wearing flats for this session and a few days later. It's interesting to see how relaxed the muscles in my feet look even when I have all my weight on them. When I stand, my feet are naturally more parallel instead of a slight "V" shape. At first, it was awkward walking in my new feet. But now... I feel GROUNDED. In my Clark's, it feels like I'm walking on marshmellows. I still love my heels though! For more information on Structural Integration (SI) visit www.ramadavis.com Started the first of a ten session series of Structural Integration aka Rolfing. This session increases breath & lengthens the front.
My breath feels more full in my body. I had a lot of tension released from my shoulders, pecs, and especially my left IT band. My arms moved more free in my shoulders w/o any pain today at work. I'm excited to see the new chaang my body will take on. I will be documenting the rest of my progress during this series. For more info on Structural Integration (SI), visit ramadavis.com |
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