| For the last decade, my career as a Welding Engineer has focused primarily on quality analysis and quality control (QA/QC). The majority of the equipment I encounter is pressurized and a failed weld could cause a lot of damage. My days are spent ensuring that any potential problems are flagged and resolved before the welder even strikes an arc. Occasionally, despite all of my best efforts in the home office to prevent failures, a weld will fail quality testing in the shop or something will start leaking before installation. On rare occasions (thankfully), a weld will fail in service, and cause serious damage. Usually, the weld has shown symptoms of failure prior to this point and the serious failure is the final sign that things have not been right for a long time. In addition to that original QA/QC check, my job includes finding the symptoms that lead to the leaks or the failures and figuring out how to fix the issue and prevent it from happening again. By now, you’re wondering what all of this has to do with Pilates and Stretch Therapy. The answer, my friends, is Prevention. Just like a weld, there are early symptoms in a body that show increased potential for failure. Poor balance Lack of coordination Lack of core strength Lack of flexibility Overall lack of fitness Poor or improper posture And surprisingly, over training These are the things “flagged” in the initial QA/QC check. If repaired, the potential for damage caused by these issues can be mitigated and frequently avoided all together. If we ignore these flags, we reach the next phase, the smaller annoying injuries that make us grumpy and prevent us from doing what we love. Stress fractures Knee tweaks Sprained ankles Pain in joints and muscles upon certain movement Back pain Decreased range of motion Muscle strain These things are the “leaks” in our welding analogy. The body is giving us flags to indicate that something has gone wrong and needs to be addressed asap. Unfortunately, many of us ignore these “leaks” and we move right along into serious failure territory.Severe pain that limits our physical abilities. Frozen shoulders Dislocated knees Rips, tears, or pulled muscles Herniated disks Broken bones It is the catastrophic failures that usually get us to slow down and pay attention. They’re expensive. They hurt. They can be life changing. As a recovering chronic over-trainer with a history of two dislocated knees, a wonky left hip, and micro-tears in one shoulder, I’ve ignored my fair share of flags and leaks and found myself on the sidelines, frustrated and bored. Like so many of you, I discovered yoga, Pilates and Stretch Therapy as part of the overall injury recovery process. Along the way, I discovered a passion for body mechanics and how yoga, Pilates and Stretch Therapy can help mitigate and prevent that final stage of “catastrophic” failures. Focusing on prevention as a Pilates Instructor fits right in with my technical training in QA/QC. It’s why everyone of my clients goes through an Initial Assessment. And it’s why my main focus as a Pilates Instructor is always on what you’re doing, what’s being flagged, what’s causing your “leaks” and finding the best proactive solution for your body, whether it’s balance work, stretch therapy or correcting muscle imbalances. Pilates and Stretch Therapy can’t solve every body problem or prevent every ache and pain, but it can give us a good foundation to help prevent those catastrophic failures. With the beautiful spring weather and sunshine, I know many of us are itching to hit the trails. Enjoy yourselves but remember to mind your “flags” and “leaks” and take time to take care of yourselves! . Happy March! -Rubecca |