Hello, welcome to my latest newsletter and welcome summer! I hope that you are well and enjoying the warm weather. I have seen so many of my clients feeling more positive, both mentally and physically, as a result of seeing a bit of sun. I hope it's working it's magic on you!

Why The Glutes Matter

The 'glutes' are the 3 gluteus muscles of the buttocks. These are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. Often therapists will refer to the glutes when they just mean the general area of the buttocks - not specifically these 3 muscles.

The glutes are really important muscles and rarely get enough attention. They help us to maintain good posture, to walk, run and stand. They are very significant muscles and always ready to get us up and moving.

"Strong gluteals are important for proper pelvic alignment, propulsion during walking and running, and even standing on one leg. Gluteals also help support the lower back during lifting, and help prevent knee injuries."

AMY KOCH, MPT, COMT

If we spend a lot of time sitting, say at a desk job, then these muscles spend a lot of this time in a flexed position which can make them weaker in the long term. There are exercises that we can do to strengthen them to combat this. The video below is a nice example of this.

I find that people rarely come to me because they have tension in their glutes. The pain or tension most usually shows up in the lower back, sometimes the hips. Massage to the whole back, the glutes and the thighs can help to ease this tension. The human body is complicated and rarely, if ever, do we have an issue that just affects one muscle. The whole body is affected and the whole body needs care to help the healing process.

One final thing to mention about the glutes. Some people may have emotional or mental blockages when it comes to working on the glutes. If you find that the idea of someone working on your hips and glutes too much then let your therapist know that it makes you uncomfortable. Chances are that they will already know as the body isn't good at hiding your emotions.

I tend to work on the hips and glutes over a towel which alleviates any embarrassment for most of my clients. I usually will wait until I feel I have a good communication with my client before working these areas. This is partly as I want to ensure that my client is comfortable with me working here but also as these muscles can hold a lot of tension and massage work needs to be done slowly and carefully so as to not cause unnecessary pain. Good communication between therapist and client ensures that I work within the limits of the client. Pain is not necessarily gain in massage.

~ Re-evaluating Your Practice ~

For the past few years I have been practicing intermittent fasting. For me, this basically meant that I wouldn't eat anything until midday and had no food from 7pm onwards. For a long time I felt it worked for me really well. That is until recently when I noticed that I was snacking more and more around the time my son came home from school. I would start by finishing off his snack, then I'd have an additional biscuit and then a few more. Soon I realised that I was eating enough food for a full meal most days at 4pm!

Re-evaluating our habits and routines and examining the results we're getting can be tough. It's easy to cling onto old habits, especially if we've specifically introduced them to be more healthy! However, it is important to remember that nothing is permanent. We change. Small changes, large changes, subtle changes, constant changes!

Perhaps you're no longer getting a buzz from your Zumba class or you find it difficult to read a chapter of a self help book each week.

Recognise and accept this feeling.

Don't let this drag you down,

there's no need to feel guilty if the love isn't there anymore.

Now find something new to ignite you.

Try a different exercise class. Take the dog out for a walk in a new area and explore while you hike. Learn a new healthy recipe and make it every week until you've perfected it.

Whatever works for you in this moment.