“Practice makes perfect…  More like perfect practice makes perfect”  -- Gray Cook

Have you ever noticed that one side of your body seems tighter, weaker or just feels different?  I went years with solid fitness and performance results knowing that my left hip was tight and causing imbalances throughout my body.  When I was riding or running, I always felt like my left leg was behind my right.  I would also have difficulty lifting my left thigh when practicing back strengtheners, like locust in yoga and swan-dive in Pilates.  Things just felt awkward.  I chalked it up to my childhood diagnosis of scoliosis – something I was managing to keep pain-free.

As the New York Times bestselling author Kathy Freston said “Wellness is a continuum”.  We get better as we go, get more informed, find a better way, and through the process are continually reminded that everything is connected.  As I explained in my earlier story, this latter point was stamped into my consciousness with every painful movement!  Move something here, and something else moves there.  The concept was really starting to hit home.

Rewind 5 years…  I can remember being told by my husband’s long-time coach and massage therapist, Al Devereaux, that I had a visible imbalance, probably originating in the psoas.  He could see what I felt.  He also suggested Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening (AIS).  AIS was pioneered by kinesiotherapist Aaron Mattes from Sarasota, Florida and popularized in the running world by NYC musculoskeletal rehab gurus Jim and Phil Wharton.  It has helped countless professional athletes, dancers and others to rebuild and maintain balance throughout their careers. 

This was promising information, but it was not until I was recently forced to slow down that it really resonated.  Wellness is a continuum, right?!

So, I finally learned AIS, which confirmed the tight left psoas and a weak left glute, even after years of yoga and Pilates.  More importantly, I learned firsthand these can be improved with focus, attention and time.  I’ve been working on this every day since and it is making a big difference!  Something that I have noticed since I was a kid in ballet, is improving and feeling better.  That’s a great feeling.

It is helpful to be aware of your imbalances.  It is even better to face them head on before they knock you down.  You can stomp most of them out with perfect practice.