Welcome to another fine day.

You woke up this morning so you have another chance to do it again.

Do what again, you may say.

Well, I suppose that’s anything and everything.  I think what’s most important is that you do it differently or with more awareness, maybe even with more attention to detail.  Recognize the reality of your particular situation.

Keep that in mind as we proceed.

Yesterday I submitted an article to a local paper for publication and as I was going through the editing process I realized that the information in the article could possibly be relevant to you.

Let me rephrase.  The information in the article is definitely relevant to you whether you realize it or not.  So it was necessary for me to provide that information for you here in a place that you can trust the source.

The fact is, you have knee pain.  What matters is how you deal with the fact in order to achieve wellness both in the physical and emotional sense.

Regardless of the extent of your knee pain, you are still faced with the frustrations surrounding your current condition.  You want it gone, in a big hurry so you can get on with life.  And, the longer it lingers, the more frustrated you become.  Sometimes you may feel hopelessness, especially if you’ve worked hard to get rid of it.

I’m here to tell you that you have options.  With the information in this article we’ll shed some new light which will open up pathways of thought and action you weren’t aware of before.

The first thing you must come to know is the meaning of the word process.

Here’s the definition according to Dictionary.com:

Process: continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner.  The action of going forward or on. The condition of being carried on.

The importance of understanding this particular definition of the word process runs much deeper than you may initially realize.  For this reason, please refer back to the above definition as we continue through this discussion.

It is my thought that culturally we have been deprived of certain philosophies and necessary rights of passage because of the richness of this land.  It’s just so easy to go out and buy whatever we desire or need.  Heck, we don’t even have to leave the home anymore.  We can simply jump on the computer, hit the buy button and couple of days later the object of our desire sits waiting at our doorstep.

What’s so bad about that?

For sure it makes life easier since the world seems to be moving so rapidly and it can be very difficult to find time in one’s day to get everything done.  That’s the positive benefit.

This is where things can go awry:

Because we’ve been conditioned to get what we what when we want it we have lost a certain necessary grace.  That being patience.

The word patience and process seem to go hand in hand.  It has been stated that one cannot truly achieve joy and peace without knowing patience.

To show patience within a process allows for the emergence of the change and adaptation we desire to achieve.  The practice of patience requires one to give time for the change to materialize.  And because time is short, we have given up on patience and tend to resort to looking elsewhere for immediate satisfaction.

When it comes to your body and particularly your knee pain, you cannot blindly rush the healing process.  If you do, you will not achieve the desired results and you will not come to understand the intricacies of your body and what it needs from you to heal and be well again.

Equally important is recognizing when change is being made.  Often we look for the big shift.  Some large change that tells us what we’re doing is working.  I’m not here to say that won’t happen for you.  I am here to clarify the fact that you will likely see a large shift as a result of several small changes being made.

Hence, the process.

You’ve heard the saying that anything worthwhile takes time and patience.  Same holds true with your knee pain struggles.

Patience + persistence + awareness + recognition = the process of healing your pain.

Moral of the story:

Be the patient, persistent action taker that is aware of every small victory.  Be vigilant with the choices you make.  Be sure that each action you choose to pursue moves you closer to your goals and doesn’t leave you stagnant or moving further away from achieving your desire.

I’ll keep you centered and heading in directions that will prove to be beneficial for your knee pain and well being.  So come back often and practice what you learn here.  Then be patient and attentive to the needs of your knees and your overall health and wellness.

Until next time,

Get strong and stay strong,

Rochelle Gravance

PS- I’d love to hear about all the little changes and discoveries you begin to notice on your journey to heal your knee pain.  Let us all hear about them by posting a comment below.  Thank you…

Hey!

Check out this exercise ——————————->

Looks pretty cool and a little scary.  AND it’s also very important.

This is called a “Lying Shoulder Pack.”

It’s time to get you packed now that you’re moving again.

I know, it seems wrong side out, packing after you’re already in the process of moving.

It’s just the way it has to be in order for things to workout correctly.

Another bit of anatomy:

OK, so you know where your shoulder joint is.

But, do you know what your scapula is or where it is?

Well, if not, it’s also referred to as the shoulder blade.  You have two of them.  They’re on your back.

Chicken wings?

OK, now we’re cookin’ with gas.

See, those two “chicken wings” have a very important job.

Their job is to support the shoulder joint through all it’s ranges of motion.

Funny thing about those shoulder blades, they’re relatively mobile as well.  They can move up, in, back and down.  Maybe even more interesting is the fact that as much movement as they’re capable of, what we really need them to do the most is limit movement.

How we get them to do that is by pulling them back and down.

When I say back, I mean toward your spine and when I say down, I mean toward your butt.

For most exercises like the push up, the pull up and every other exercise involving the upper body, the primary function of the shoulder blade or scapula is to stay in that position to keep the shoulder joint safe.  OR, eventually get into that position once the initial function of the exercise is performed.

So here’s how to perform the Lying Shoulder Pack:

• Lie on your back with your arms out-stretched from the shoulders (just like in the above photo), palms facing up.
• Draw your knees into your chest then extend the legs at the knee joint.
• Keeping your right palm up, turn your left palm down and begin moving your legs to the left (see photo).
• Suck that left shoulder up by pulling it in toward your spine and down toward your butt.
• Resist the force of your legs moving to the left with your left shoulder blade.
• Keep your right shoulder in contact with the ground at all times.
• Using your core and the resistance of your left shoulder blade, bring your legs back to center.
• Switch your palms so that your right palm is down, left palm up and begin moving your legs to the right.
• Repeat for as many repetitions as you can perform CORRECTLY on each side.  Stop before you get too tired and are unable to adequately “pack the shoulders.”

What’s that?

Yeah, I know.  This exercise really gets your quads and abs too.

Pretty cool, but not the reason we’re doing it.

It’s important to remember what your “chicken wings” feel like when performing this exercise.  You must be able to transition “shoulder packing” into every exercise you do from here on out.

Remember that all of these exercises and many, many more are detailed with complete video descriptions of me training you on how to perform these exercises so you get the most out of them in the Knee Pain Solutions program.

Here’s another thing:

Did you know that most people, especially women, find it extremely difficult to pack their shoulders without letting their core get weak and sag?

Oh boy…

I better cover getting a strong core next week so we can begin to put all the pieces together to keep you safe and get you strong while you do all the stuff it takes to Lose The Knee Pain.

You really have a lot of stuff to practice this week.

I gave you a ton of valuable information that not many people know about.

Oh, you are very welcome.

No worries.

Just do me a solid and don’t let my private knee pain clients know about it.  They’d probably hunt me down and string me up if they knew I was giving you all this stuff for free.

I’ll deal with the consequences since it’s for a good cause.

I got your back…always.

Alright then.

Get busy.  You have much to do before we talk next time.

In the meantime, have a great weekend and keep chuggin’ along.

Until next time…

Get strong and stay strong,

Rochelle Gravance

Hey, when’s the last time you packed without moving?

Dumb idea, you say.

No, really.

When’s the last time you packed so you wouldn’t move?

What do ya mean what’s the punch line?

There is no punch line.

That’s really an honest question.

I get the feeling you have no idea what I’m referring to.

No worries.

I’ll let you in on something everyone should know, yet few actually do.

When I say “packing without moving” I’m not talking about boxing your things up and sitting in the middle of your empty living room twiddling your thumbs waiting for my next cue.

It would be kinda cool if you did everything I told you to do.

Certainly you should do most everything I tell you to do as long as you are crystal clear of the intentions.

The packing without moving I’m referring to is better known as “shoulder packing.”

What’s that, you say?

Well, it’s what you do to keep your shoulders safe when performing exercises.

Never heard of it?

Well now, isn’t it just peachy that I’m dedicating this post to the explanation of shoulder packing and why it’s so important.

Lets start with a little anatomy.

Your shoulder joints are designed to be very mobile.  To keep them healthy and injury free, they must remain mobile.

Because we spend so much time in front of our desks these days, our chests get tight, our shoulders roll forward and we begin to lose that mobility very rapidly.

Once the body begins to adopt this unnatural position because of tight muscles, stress and tension, the shoulder is forced into a very compromised position.  Add the stress of performing exercises in this unnatural position and you are asking for serious trouble.  Injuries to the shoulder are common, painful and just as hard to live with as knee pain.

So what do you do?

You learn to pack the shoulders, that’s what.

For some reason, I have found women have more difficulty mastering this technique than men.

It probably has a lot to do with the differences in upper body strength and the fact that women tend to hold their stress in the neck and shoulder area whereas men tend to express stress in their mid back.

Learning to pack your shoulders takes some practice.  First you need to loosen up the thoracic spine which also loses mobility when we sit too much and fail to practice ideal posture.

Foam rolling does wonders for the thoracic spine.

Go to www.kneepainworkout.com and download the free video to discover the many benefits of foam rolling.

You can also use two tennis balls.

Here’s how you do it:

• Lie on the ground with one tennis ball on each side of your spine.
• Start with the tennis balls in your mid back.
• Place your feet flat on the floor directly under your knees.
• Perform 8-10 mini crunches.
• Be sure the back of your shoulders always come in contact with the ground on every repetition.
• Move your body down about two inches so the tennis balls roll up your back two inches.
• Perform 8-10 repetitions.
• Repeat until the tennis balls are between the upper part of your shoulder blades.

Little tender?

I know!

You never really know what’s going on in your body until you go poking around looking for stuff.  Good thing you’re doing it now before an injury lets you know about it.

Just remember, this isn’t an abdominal crunch.

I hate crunches!

They are fairly pointless, unless you’re training for a crunching competition.

So, be sure to focus on getting the back of your shoulders in contact with the ground every time.  That, in itself, is what makes the exercise so helpful for getting mobility restored in your mid and upper back.

Next, you’ll need to do some flexibility work for the upper back.

Insert the “Lying Push-Pull” exercise you see right here —>

How to do it:

• Lie on your left side with a stack of towels under your right knee which is bent at a 90 degree angle at the hip.
• Stack the towels high enough so that you can keep your right knee resting on the towels and still touch the back of your right shoulder on the ground.
• Your right arm will be the pulling arm and your left arm will be the pushing arm.
• Reach up with your right arm and grab an imaginary rope from the ceiling.
• Position your left arm as if you’re going to push an imaginary dumb bell to the ceiling.
• Simultaneously push the left arm up and pull the right arm down attempting to get the back of the right shoulder in contact with the ground.
• Always keep your knee in contact with the towels.
• Repeat for 15-20 repetitions before switching sides.

Think of it like this:

You are literally attempting to pull your ribcage to the right with your right arm while simultaneously pushing your ribcage to the right with your left arm.

Sounds a little freaky…I know.

Trust me, it works.

Alright then.

What’s that?

It shouldn’t be so hard so why are you out of breath?

Well, that’s because you have a lot of “undoing” to do, and that takes effort.

Fear not.  It’ll get easier.

Then you can look back in a couple of weeks and recognize all the progress you’ve made.

YAY!

So listen…

Go work on these two exercises for a couple of days and I’ll be back with a really cool exercise or two to teach you so your shoulders will be happy and you can go out ask your friends:

So when’s the last time you packed without moving?

Gets ‘em every time.

Until next time, my friend…

Get strong and stay strong,

Rochelle Gravance

Hiya,

What’s new?

What’s that you say?  Your knee(s) hurt and you’re frustrated because you really want to do something about it but you don’t know what.

I see.

So maybe you have some weight to lose?  That will surely help to unload those joints and alleviate many of symptoms of knee pain.

How’s your eating plan?

Have you cut out all the processed foods that pack on the pounds and increase inflammation?  Are you eating more organic fruits and vegetables that provide the body with much needed nutrients, help alleviate inflammation, increase fiber intake and just plain taste great?

Are you consuming adequate levels of essential fatty acids in your diet like raw nuts, cold water fish, avocados, olives and olive oil, flax and so on?

Hey! Don’t forget to use coconut oil even though it’s a saturated fat.  It’s really fantastically healthy.  Ask any Hawaiian.

Did you cut out processed meats and replace them with wild or grass fed and finished protein sources like beef, bison, eggs, elk, lamb, and venison?

Are you drinking plenty of water and organic herbal teas?

Did you start including herbs and spices that have an anti inflammatory effect in your daily diet?

Are you getting adequate rest, performing meditation and maybe allowing yourself to dissolve into the realm of a good read to alleviate stress?

You got all that covered, you say.

Well, good on ya then.

What’s going on with your workout schedule?

You say you can’t workout because your knee(s) hurt too much.

Is that right…

Dang it!

I just may have something for you.

Go to www.kneepainworkout.com and download the free video.

In that video you’ll find all the critical stretches along with foam rolling and muscle activation exercises that you absolutely need to be doing.  This video is your starting point to lose your knee pain for good.

When you’re performing the exercises in the video, take note of the one’s that really seem hard or nearly impossible.  Those are the exercises that are critically important to stick with and make improvement in.  Most likely, the muscle groups these exercises target significantly impact your knee pain problem.  It’s quite likely they may actually be the root of your knee pain.

Do I have your word that you’ll get on this exercise regimen right away?

Great.

I created that video for you, you know.

This is what I do to keep my knee pain from effecting my life.

While we’re at it…

How’s about them push ups and pull ups?

What do ya mean you haven’t been doing them?

Your knee(s) again, you say.

You sure about that?

When’s the last time you tried doing some push ups, pull ups or other body weight exercises that don’t involve bending the knee joints?

That long!?!?

How come?

You say you never really thought about doing other exercises.

I see.

You know, you aren’t limited to just doing push ups and pull ups either.

Have you ever tried the dead lift, kettlebell swings, swing throughs, ankle walks, inch worms, push up lateral walk, swimmers lat, body weight row, prisoner lateral walk, plank, side plank, 1-leg glute extension, 1- leg quad extension or how ’bout the farmer’s walk?

No?

You say you’ve never heard of some of those exercises before.

Where might you find a resource that has all those exercises cataloged with video descriptions and set in workout format?

Funny you should ask.

All those exercises and about 140 more can be found in the Knee Pain Solutions program that was specifically designed for you, the knee pain sufferer, by yours truly.

You know, if it wasn’t for some of these exercises I’d be down the river without a paddle.  It was pretty lonely and scary trying to operate my vessel with no tools to help me out of the rough spots.  Good thing I figured all this stuff out for me and you.

Sounds like you may be in a bit of a rough spot yourself.

Good thing you found this site.

I’ll be here to help you every step of the way.

Hand your paddle back, essentially.

I have plenty of experience in dealing with my own knee pain issues for the past 21 years, not to mention the countless knee pain clients I’ve helped get back on their proverbial feet again.

You just need to follow my lead and give me feedback on your personal experiences so I can better help you in the future.

Speaking of following my lead….

Go download your free video now at www.kneepainworkout.com and get busy.  Plenty to do there.

Then, come back here and share your experiences, comments, suggestions, questions and even frustrations in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

Don’t forget those push ups and pull ups!

Remember, do the things you can do right now safely.  As you begin to put all the pieces together with help from me, your knee pain will begin to diminish and we’ll start adding more exercises in to get those legs stronger to support your knee joints.

And that’s the recipe for:

NO MORE KNEE PAIN!

Are you excited?

I am!

Can’t wait to hear from you with your progress reports.

So get to work!

Lets talk again in a couple of days.

Until next time…

Get strong and stay strong,

Rochelle Gravance

Alright, so lets get some stuff done.

In the last post I talked about how every excuse is inexcusable except one.  That one excuse that gets you out of taking care of yourself first is that your dead.

I know that may be a bit shocking to read, and truth be told, it’s absolutely accurate.  Unless you take care of yourself first, you’re no help to anyone else, including yourself.

It really isn’t that difficult to carve out twenty minutes here and there throughout your day to complete the necessary tasks that a healthy person requires.  If you don’t take the time to care for yourself, that one excuse that gets you out of it will come sooner than later.

Don’t know where to begin?  Good.

It’ll be easier for you to adopt new habits rather than try to break old ones that obviously aren’t working first.

So how do you know if you are taking great care of yourself or need some help, suggestions and support?

Answer these questions:

1. Do you workout/adequately move your body 5-7 days weekly?

2. Do you get 7-9 hours of sleep nightly?

3. Is your diet comprised of mostly vegetables, fruits, raw nuts and healthy protein sources?

4. Do you have a community of like-minded friends and family surrounding and supporting you?

5. Do you feel centered and able to calmly make decisions rationally instead of emotionally?

6. Do you enjoy the present, look forward to tomorrow or dread waking each day?

If your answer to each question isn’t “YES” then we have some work to do.

Lets get busy…

Here’s a list of beneficial solutions to begin implementing to help you get things done and make time to care for yourself in the process.

1. To eat healthy and consistently, you must make food available to you.

Be sure to stock your frig and cupboards with healthy foods like fruits, veggies, raw nuts and seeds and lean, organic, grass-fed and preferably finished meats and wild caught fish.  If you don’t have it, you can’t eat it and you’ll inevitably eat something else instead.

2. If you’re always on the go, take on the go food with you.

I never leave home without my little ice chest.  The only time it doesn’t go with me is when I’m traveling by plane.  In that case, my travel bag has carrots, raw nuts and a couple of fruit offerings so that I can snack healthy until I get to my destination.

Having a cooler allows you to keep refrigerated foods cold which expands the variety of foods you can make portable.  I always have carrots, raw nuts, fruit and forty ounces of water with me.  Occasionally, I’ll even throw in a piece of wild caught baked salmon with veggies when I know my choices will be limited and not so healthy.

3. Prepare in advance to eliminate excuses.

Not having the time to prepare meals means you didn’t take the time to prepare meals.  The easiest way to eliminate this excuse is to over prepare when preparing meals so that you have one or two additional meals ready to go for future use.

In the Knee Pain Nutrition Solutions portion of the Knee Pain Solutions program, you’ll find recipes that show you exactly what to do with leftovers that make extra special “next day”meals.  This way you won’t get bored of eating the same thing over and over again.

Hey, not all of us can be creative so these solutions will help the creatively challenged chef in training stick to preparing and enjoying healthy meals without taking all day to prepare them.

4. Review menus online.

Eating out can quickly sabotage the best made healthy eating plans.  If you know where you’re headed, look up the menu online before arriving so you can efficiently order the best meal choice available that fits in to your healthy eating plan.  This will keep you from making rash decisions in the moment which seem to accumulate quite rapidly if you eat out often.

5. Schedule your workouts.

You schedule everything else don’t you? Why not schedule those things that need to be priorities but never find themselves on your daily schedule and “to-do” lists.

Don’t have time?

Make time.

Are you telling me you can’t take 20-60 minutes for yourself daily?  There are 1,440 minutes in a day and you can’t spare a measly 60 of them?  Come on, help me out here.  Sure you can.  Perspective and priorities.

6. Make your workouts efficient.

Some days will be busier than others.  Regardless of the day, you must still schedule time to move your body every single day.  And if you’re following the Knee Pain Solutions program, you’re working out 3-5 days per week and engaging in something you enjoy that requires you to move your body seven days a week.

On those busy days that you really need to be super efficient with your workouts when time is of the essence, you need a super efficient workout.  That’s what the Knee Pain Solutions Max Efficiency workouts were designed for.

When you are swamped and know you need and want to move your body, take twenty minutes and perform a Knee Pain Solutions Max Efficiency workout.  You’ll feel better about yourself and the skin you live in when you stick to your program and keep getting the priorities accomplished each day.

7. What’s in your wallet?

And on your desk and counter?  Your To-Do List of course.  Each night before retiring to get those 7-9 hours of sleep, make a list of the things you need to get done the next day including eating and working out.

List the items by priority.  If you’re going to workout first thing in the morning, “workout” should be sitting at position #1 on the list and so on.  Lists will help you stay accountable, help to prioritize and accomplish the important stuff and make you feel really good about all you’ve managed to get done when crossing the To-Do’s off the list.

I have a whole slew of ways to stay efficient, recognize and accomplish priorities and get stuff done.  First start with these suggestions and then we’ll add to them in posts to come.

In the meantime, you’ve got work to do.  Get to it, have a fabulous, active weekend and we’ll talk again next week.

Get strong and stay strong,

Rochelle Gravance

PS- Have some really cool suggestions that help you stay on your healthy living track?  Share with us your little secrets of getting stuff done in the comments section below.  Thanks.