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Train for the You 10 Years from Now: Preventive Movement for Lasting Health

60 year olds doing iliopsoas Myofascial Stretch for preventive training for long-term health

When it comes to your health, the smartest thing you can do is stop thinking short-term. Preventive training for long-term health means investing in how your body functions years from now—before injuries or limitations take hold.

This is the essence of preventive training for long-term health. It’s not reactive. It’s proactive. And it’s one of the most powerful ways you can take control of your aging process—starting today.

You Are Your Future

Here’s the truth: the body you’ll live in 10 years from now is the one you’re building right now—through your habits, your movement, your training, and even your rest.

Fascia doesn’t just react to injury. It adapts to how you move and load it every day. This means today’s imbalances become tomorrow’s dysfunction—unless you interrupt the pattern.

That’s why at SolCore Fitness & Therapy, we don’t just train you to feel better now. We teach your body how to age better—intelligently, holistically, and with a deep respect for structure and complexity.

A Holistic Approach = A Long-Term Win

Preventive training isn’t about going harder. It’s about going wiser.

That’s where our fascia-based system shines. Instead of isolated muscles, we work with your full structure. Instead of chasing symptoms, we build resilience from the inside out.

Want to see how it works? Read our Ultimate Guide for a Holistic Fitness Program to get a feel for the principles we use every day.

And here’s a great overview from the National Institute on Aging about the role of physical activity in preventing age-related decline.

Future You Will Thank You

So the real question isn’t whether you should train.

It’s this: What kind of body do you want to live in 10 years from now?

Let’s build that—together.

👉 Book a Complimentary Consultation Today and start moving toward the future you deserve

Like Dark Chocolate, Holistic Movement Satisfies Deeper

Holistic movement is like a piece of rich, dark chocolate — small, intentional, and deeply satisfying.

You ever eat one of those mini chocolate bars from Halloween? You eat one… then another… and somehow you’re still not satisfied.

But a small square of real dark chocolate? That hits different. It’s richer. It stays with you. It satisfies.

Why Dark Chocolate Hits Different

The difference isn’t just taste — it’s quality.
Dark chocolate is made with real cocoa, less sugar, and more of the stuff your body actually likes. You don’t need much of it to feel satisfied.

And it even helps your nervous system, not just your cravings — research backs this up.

The same is true with how you move.

When you train in a way that includes your fascia, your posture, your nervous system, and your structure — your body feels better. You don’t need to kill yourself in the gym.

The same is true with how you move. Myofascial Stretching is one example of movement that nourishes the body more fully.

You just need to feed your body what it’s actually hungry for.

Holistic Movement Works Smarter

Holistic movement isn’t about going soft — it’s about going deep. Learn why that makes all the difference.

It builds real strength from the inside out. It makes space in your joints. It calms your nervous system while it challenges your muscles.

And the best part?
You leave feeling stronger, not broken.

Just like with chocolate — when it’s made right, a little bit goes a long way.

Real Satisfaction Comes From Depth

If you’re always looking for the next workout fix — but never feeling better in your body — maybe it’s time to try something more nourishing.

Something that satisfies deeper.
Something that was made to work with your body, not just sweat it out.

That’s what we do here.
And like dark chocolate… once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

→ Ready to train smarter? That’s what we do here. See how our personalized, holistic approach works in real programs.

Emergence: The Body’s Quiet Revolution

Emergence: The Body's Quiet Revolution

We tend to think in straight lines. Start here, end there. Do the work, get the result. But the body doesn’t operate like a factory.

It operates like a forest.

In a forest, growth is not linear. It’s ecological—emerging from networks of interdependence, seasons, decay, and surprise. This is how the body heals, evolves, and ultimately transforms.

This is emergence—when small, slow, often invisible processes suddenly produce something entirely new. A shift in posture. An absence of pain. The feeling of being organized from the inside out.

The Patience of Complexity

We’re conditioned to seek fast results. We want the “fix.” But when it comes to pain, performance, or even mental clarity, the body doesn’t respond to force. It responds to presence.

Real change in the body comes from layered input—postural precision, fascial tensioning, nervous system reset, fluid movement, mindful breath. None of these alone are a magic bullet. But together, they build the terrain for something deeper to emerge.

Like in ELDOA, where you’re not just doing an exercise to open up space at a specific joint—you’re turning on and integrating that joint with the rest of your spine, nervous system, and body. It’s a deliberate act of reconnection, aligning with the principles of PIT and DAM to allow for more fluid, intelligent movement. Or in myofascial stretching, where you find the restriction and *wait* for the tissue to yield. Or in proprioceptive re-education, where you’re not just retraining muscles—you’re awakening forgotten intelligence.

Working “With” the Body, Not Against It

Techniques rooted in osteopathic principles—like ELDOA, MFS, segmental reinforcement, and fluid proprioception—are not about overpowering dysfunction. They’re about partnering with the body’s own capacity to reorganize.

You’re not “fixing” the body.
You’re giving it the information it needs to *emerge into coherence*.

This takes patience. Curiosity. And yes, repetition. But the rewards go far beyond relief. You move with more integrity. You live with more resilience.

This layered, systemic process is at the heart of our Osteopathic Exercise and Therapy Techniques, where you’ll find tools that support the body’s natural ability to adapt and reorganize.

More Than You Think You Are

Emergence reminds us that we’re not limited by where we are now.

With the right input, the right environment, and the willingness to work with complexity, we don’t just recover—we transform.

You may be showing up to resolve pain or feel better in your joints. But what if this process gave you more than that? What if you discovered strength, confidence, and alignment that you didn’t think was possible?

Not by forcing your body to comply.
But by allowing your system to do what it’s built to do: adapt, organize, and emerge.

Your body is not a project to be completed

It’s a living, dynamic system that—given the right relationship—can become more than you imagined.

That’s the quiet revolution.

That’s emergence.

Follow the Thread—Where Movement, Fascia, and Freedom Align

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Why Your Body Is Your Greatest Investment — Not Your House

SolCore Therapy and Fitness

Your Body Is Your Greatest Investment

You’ve heard it before: “Your house is the most valuable thing you have.” While that may be true financially, I would STRONGLY argue that your body is your greatest investment.

If you lost your house, it would be traumatic—but you’d still be here with a fighting chance. If you lose your health, you might become a burden—or not be here at all. I know that sounds harsh, but I see it regularly.

Many of the people who come here have done well financially and in their careers. They’ve worked hard, hired experts, and built portfolios that generate returns. But when it comes to their bodies, their strategy often looks like this:

  • Random walking
  • Using machines without understanding them
  • Taking classes without purpose
  • Only seeing practitioners when something goes wrong

By the time they reach me, they realize this approach wasn’t enough. It’s not impossible to reverse—but it’s definitely harder. If you’re tight, weak, or uncoordinated, training is harder. And since your body functions as a whole, breakdowns don’t happen in isolation.

The good news? You’re alive. And that means you can change.

With a specific, holistic, and integrated program, your body can become a strength—not a liability. That’s the foundation of what we do here: training the body as it was designed, using osteopathic principles that respect how structure dictates function.

This is a progressive, sustainable way to feel better, get stronger, and move with confidence—without relying on others to “fix” you.

As the Buddha said: “The finger pointing to the moon is not the moon.”
You have to experience it for yourself.

If you are local in Santa Fe, NM, Come for a two-week trial. Click the button to read more and sign up.

Two Week Trial

If you are not local, then we offer private sessions via Zoom. Your homework is given to you within our member portal, where you will have access to videos of the exercises and stretches that we did so that you can practice.

Schedule a consult to find out more using the button below.

Request a Free Consult

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Do Actions Equal Results? The Truth About Self-Improvement

Do Actions Equal Results? 🤔

The biggest misconception is that action equals results. You’ve seen it everywhere:

  • “Do these 3 things to achieve X.”
  • “My 10-step formula for success.”
  • “I used this exact system to achieve X.”

These types of headlines make it seem like if you just follow a plan and use some elbow grease, you’ll reach your goals. And if you’re baking a cake or fixing a leaky faucet, that works great.

But when it comes to you—your body, your health, your transformation—you are not a recipe.

The Truth About Programs and Self-Improvement

When these headlines apply to personal growth or fitness, something gets lost. These “plug-and-play” formulas can feel like an easy fix, but they often backfire. Why?

Because they remove the responsibility to grow into the person who can achieve that goal.
If success were as simple as following steps, everyone would have perfect health, a thriving business, and a movie-worthy life.

But that’s not reality.

The Real Answer: Do Actions Equal Results?

Not exactly. That little “=” sign is doing a lot more work than we think.

It doesn’t just mean “do this, get that.”
It means:

  • Change how you think and behave
  • Learn and unlearn
  • Try, fail, adjust, repeat

That equals sign is transformation.
And transformation takes a philosophy, not just a checklist.

Real-World Example: When “3 Steps” Isn’t Enough

A client came to me after finishing PT. They were told to keep doing:

  1. McKenzie press-ups
  2. Clamshells for hip strength
  3. Planks for core strength

But they weren’t improving.

After evaluating them, I saw a flat lower back, an unstable SI joint, weak abs, and poor posture. Their imaging confirmed degeneration at L4/L5 and SI dysfunction.

So we changed the plan:

  • Replaced McKenzie press-ups with ELDOA for L4/L5, L5/S1, T8/T9, and C4/C5
  • Swapped planks for “good mornings” to retrain dynamic ab and spine strength
  • Upgraded clamshells to full-fiber glute med training within a fascial tension chain
  • Added myofascial stretches for pelvic balance: iliopsoas, trochanter muscles, glute medius and max
  • Treated the SI joint directly to stabilize the base

That’s not a formula—it’s a process of ongoing assessment, adaptation, and individualization.

What They Really Needed to Do

They needed to make time.
They needed to face the emotional resistance that often surfaces in healing.
They had to become the version of themselves who no longer lives with back pain.

And they did. But not because of steps 1-2-3.
Because they committed to a philosophy—and worked through the equals.

You’re Not Alone. I’ve Been There.

I used to believe that if I just worked harder and followed the steps, I’d reach my “X.”
Sometimes it worked. But often, it didn’t.
And it led to frustration, burnout, and self-doubt.

The lesson?
You have to grow into the person who can hold the result you want.

So if you’re asking “Do actions equal results?”
Yes—but only when the actions are rooted in learning, not just doing.

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Mastering the Push Pattern: It’s Not Just For Your Pecs

Mastering the push-pattern. The bench press. The chest press. The push-up.

Whatever you call it, this push pattern is one of the seven primal movements—and it’s about a lot more than just building your pecs.

In this post (and video), we’ll explore how mastering the push pattern isn’t just a matter of technique, but of understanding the full-body biomechanics behind it. When you treat it as a holistic movement, you unlock strength, mobility, and injury resilience across your entire body.

Check out the full video by clicking on the image below.

The Push Pattern Is a Full-Body, Compound Movement

Yes, the push pattern trains your pecs—but it also demands the coordination of your:

  • Lats
  • Deltoids
  • Biceps & triceps
  • Forearms, wrists, and hands
  • Elbows, shoulders, and spine
  • Rib cage, sternum, and even your pelvis

When you perform a push correctly, these systems integrate through your fascia to create a strong, stable, and safe motion.

But when you lack strength or coordination in any of these areas, your body compensates. That’s where problems start.


Compensation = Cheating Your Body

Let’s say your pecs are underdeveloped. You can still bench press—but your body cheats by overusing the lats, delts, or even your spine.

Over time, this imbalance leads to:

  • Shoulder pain
  • Poor posture
  • Limited progress
  • Injury

To avoid this, you must train the push pattern segmentally first—then globally.


Segmental Training Before Full Patterns

Instead of jumping straight into compound movements, train the individual components:

  • Pec flies at diagonal angles to match muscle fiber lines
  • Serratus anterior strength (fan-shaped movement)
  • Rhomboid work in glenohumeral-friendly positions
  • Posterior chain and thoracic posture development
  • Psoriatic joint mobilization and therapy (behind shoulder blades)

This builds neuromuscular coordination, muscle mass, blood flow, and fascial integration—giving your body the tools to execute the push without compensation.


Choosing the Right Push Pattern Progression

Once you’ve built the foundation, you can progress the push pattern intelligently:

  • Open chain (free end movement): barbell bench press, dumbbell press
  • Closed chain (fixed end): push-ups from wall, bench, knees, or toes
  • Unilateral (one side): single-arm press
  • With rotation or combination: functional push + twist variations

Start with the basics. Don’t jump into complexity without preparation—your body will guess, and guessing equals injury.


Posture and Scapular Mechanics: Two Common Mistakes

Two things I see people get wrong constantly:

  1. Posture
    • Arching the back during a press
    • Leading with the head during push-ups
    • Lifting the head off the bench
    • Dropping the pelvis or changing spinal curves
    👉 Your posture is your training. What you teach your body under load is how it will behave.
  2. Scapular Mechanics (Shoulder Blade Movement)
    • On the way down (eccentric), scapulae must retract
    • On the way up (concentric), they must protract

If your scapulae can’t glide properly, your shoulders take the hit.


The Serratus Anterior: The Unsung Hero of Push Movements

The serratus anterior is critical for scapular protraction and stabilization. It fans out from the ribs to the shoulder blade and works alongside:

  • Rhomboids (between the scapulae)
  • Psoriatic joint (behind the scapula)

You must train it in multiple planes—not just with “push-ups plus,” but in diagonal and rotational movements to build full range and resilience.

We have a great guide to understanding holistic exercise and fitness


Why Mastering the Push Pattern Matters

This isn’t just about looking better in a t-shirt. The push pattern shows up in:

  • Daily movements (pushing open a door)
  • Sports performance
  • Fall prevention
  • Structural balance
  • Joint health

When you rush into it without preparing the body segmentally, you’re skipping steps—and your body will force you to pay attention later through pain or dysfunction.


Final Thoughts (and Your Next Steps)

Mastering the push pattern means respecting the complexity of your body.

✅ Train weak links first
✅ Stretch and mobilize where needed
✅ Build strength from the ground up
✅ Respect posture, control, and sequencing


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🎁 Want to train smarter, not harder?
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Avoid These Common Mistakes When Doing Lunges

The lunge is one of the seven primal movements — foundational patterns your body needs to perform life’s activities. It shows up in everything from walking up stairs to playing sports. But despite its importance, most people do it wrong. And improper lunges can lead to dysfunction, pain, and eventually injury.

Let’s break this down holistically — the way your body is meant to be understood.

Click on the image to watch the full video

Why Lunges Matter (And Why Most People Get Them Wrong)

Lunges are a global movement, meaning they involve many joints, muscles, and fascia chains working together. But too many people skip the prep work and just jump into reps. That leads the body to “cheat” the movement — finding ways to make it happen, but not necessarily the right way.

And those cheats? They lead to bad movement patterns, compensation, and eventually breakdowns like knee pain or low back strain.

Before doing lunges, your body needs to be trained for them — especially in the areas that stabilize and coordinate your leg and pelvis.


Key Muscles You’re Probably Not Training Properly

Two of the most important muscles for safe, strong lunges are the glute medius and adductor longus. These muscles are opposites — one on the outside of the hip and one on the inside of the thigh — and they work together to stabilize your leg and pelvis.

Most people train the glute med with exercises like the “clam.” But here’s the issue:

  • The clam only targets part of the glute med (there are three fibers).
  • It usually involves hip external rotation, which recruits the piriformis — not what you want if you’re trying to isolate glute med.
  • It doesn’t train the fascia chain that connects the glute med to your entire body.

A better approach? Train each fiber of the glute med specifically, and in a position that mimics how your body moves in life — like during a lunge.

The same goes for the adductor longus. To train it properly, use motions that involve hip flexion, internal rotation, and adduction — not just squeezing your legs together.


Lunges don’t fail because your quads aren’t strong. They fail because one link in your movement chain is weak or misfiring. That’s why I teach segmental training — working specific muscles in their purest form so they can do their job when it matters.

You’re only as strong as your weakest link. If the glute med can’t stabilize your pelvis, no amount of squats, step-ups, or lunges will fix the imbalance.


Micro Movements Drive Macro Success

The lunge isn’t just a bend of the hip and knee — it involves rotation, weight transfer, balance, and fascia coordination. That’s why I always say:

“The micro movements manage the macro movements.”

When you walk or lunge, your foot and knee rotate slightly — it’s subtle, but critical. If that rotational control isn’t trained first, you’re building a house on a shaky foundation.


Fascia: The Secret Ingredient

Your fascia — the connective tissue that wraps around and links your muscles — plays a huge role in lunging. For example, the tractus iliotibial (IT) band connects fascia from the glute med, thigh, and hip down to your knee.

If that fascial line isn’t trained, it guesses what to do — which means your knee may twist, shift, or compensate.

Training fascia means educating it — not smashing it with foam rollers. That’s why our method incorporates myofascial stretches and specific movements that guide the fascia to behave correctly.


Mastering the Lunge (Once Your Body’s Ready)

Once your body is prepared, here’s how to progress your lunge safely:

🔹 Supported Lunge

Start with one leg forward, most of your weight on the front leg (90/10 split). Let the front knee bend first, followed by the back. Focus on clean, vertical motion — no tipping or twisting.

🔹 Stepping Lunge

Now add movement. Step out with your heel first, not your toe (avoid “ballerina steps”). Your step should be slightly longer than a normal stride for better alignment and control.

🔹 Multiplanar Lunges

Life doesn’t happen in a straight line — neither should your training. Practice lunges:

  • Forward
  • Diagonal forward
  • Lateral
  • Diagonal backward
  • Backward

This prepares your body for real-world movements like hiking, skiing, or playing with your kids.


Lunges Are More Than a Gym Exercise

When done right, lunges teach your body to move efficiently, absorb force, and transfer energy through your whole system. But when done wrong — with poor prep or misaligned form — they cause more harm than good.


Need Help Getting This Right?

If you want expert guidance tailored to your body, I’ve got two options for you:

See you next week — and take care of your movement!

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Do You Know the Truth About The Bend Pattern?

Bending is one of the most common movements we use in everyday life—picking up your kids, moving a box, swinging a golf club. But most people don’t do it well. That poor movement adds up, leading to tightness, pain, or injury over time.

So should you jump straight into Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) or kettlebell swings to “fix” it?

Not quite.

Let’s unpack what the bend pattern really is, which muscle chains are involved, and how to approach this movement holistically so your body gets stronger—not more worn down.

Click the image to watch the full video

What Is the Bend Pattern, Really?

In training, the bend pattern refers to a hip-dominant movement like an RDL or deadlift. You’ll see this pattern show up solo or combined with other movements during everyday life—lifting, twisting, walking, squatting.

But just “doing” the movement doesn’t mean you’re doing it well.

If your muscle chains are out of balance—some tight, some weak, some misfiring—practicing the bend pattern without addressing the root causes can reinforce dysfunction and eventually lead to pain or breakdown.


The Bend Pattern Is a Global Movement

Unlike isolated exercises, the bend pattern is what we call a “global” movement. It requires the whole body to coordinate and act as one. That’s why I don’t just teach the movement—I assess how your body is functioning within the movement.

We look at the full chain: the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and how they interact.

The primary chain behind the bend pattern is your posterior chain—from your heel to your calves, hamstrings, glutes, deep back muscles, and even your neck and shoulders. But your anterior and lateral chains help stabilize that pattern too.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the key players:

  • Soleus
  • Gastrocnemius (calf muscles)
  • Hamstrings
  • Gluteus maximus
  • Four layers of spinal muscles
  • Trapezius
  • Rhomboids
  • Levator scapulae
  • Shoulder stabilizers

The Problem with Just “Doing” the Bend

Too often, people start loading up barbells without assessing the quality of their chain or how their fascia is functioning.

The bend pattern naturally places more mechanical load on the lower back than a squat—simply due to leverage. That’s not a bad thing. But it becomes a problem if:

  • You haven’t trained segmentally
  • Your fascia is out of balance
  • You’ve overloaded the system
  • You’re dealing with an acute back issue

Force isn’t the enemy. Misapplied force is.


How to Learn the Bend Pattern: Start Pure

To truly master this pattern, you must start with clean motor control. I teach the butt-back, bow-forward drill from a kneeling position. It’s the most stripped-down, brain-friendly way to teach your body how to move properly.

From there:

  1. Kneeling →
  2. Bodyweight standing RDL →
  3. Light weight →
  4. Full deadlift (hip + knee bend)

At each step, you’re grooving the right motor pattern—building a motor engram in your brain so you move properly without having to think about it.

Key pointers:

  • Keep a neutral spine (don’t over-arch or round)
  • Maintain all four natural curves in your back
  • Shift weight back into heels—but don’t lift your toes
  • Move as one unit—don’t break at the spine
  • Engage your abs and lats for support

Common Mistakes (That Will Wreck Your Back)

  • Rounding the spine
  • Overarching the lower back
  • Losing foot contact
  • Using too much weight too soon
  • Not progressing through proper training stages

Instagram might celebrate a rounded-back deadlift, but your body won’t. You want smooth, controlled, segmental movement—built over time with intention.


The Fascia Piece (Why It Matters)

Muscles don’t work in isolation. They’re wrapped in and connected by fascia—a living, communicative network that governs structure, neurology, and coordination.

If your fascia is dehydrated, compressed, or restricted, your body can’t move well—even if your muscles are “strong.”

Here’s what affects fascia health:

  • 🚰 Dehydration (aim for half your body weight in ounces of plain water daily)
  • 😰 Chronic stress
  • 🧍‍♂️ Not working the fascia directly (training in multiple planes and ranges)

Want a better bend pattern? Take care of your fascia first.


Deadlift vs. RDL

Once you master the RDL, you can layer in the deadlift by adding controlled knee flexion. The movement stays hip-dominant, but now you’re handling more force and range of motion.

Both movements are important—but only if you’ve earned the right to do them well.


Slow Is Smooth. Smooth Is Strong.

Building a bend pattern takes time. Don’t rush. Train your brain, train your chains, and train your fascia. It’s not about how much weight you lift. It’s about how well you move—now and for the rest of your life.


Want Help?

If you’re 40+ and looking to be strong, mobile, and pain-free for the long haul, I’ve got a few ways to support you:

All links are in the description below.

See you next week—take care.

— Ekemba Sooh
SolCore Fitness & Therapy

it’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.

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Awareness and Mindset in Fitness: Stop Sabotaging Progress

There is what is factually happening and your perception of what is happening. Being aware and managing these two situations will either lead you to suffering or not.

Check out this video to raise your awareness and help you move through your sticking points.

Click the image to watch the full video

What Are You Making It Mean?

There’s what’s happening—and there’s what you make it mean.

That difference? It’s everything.
Because whether you move forward or stay stuck depends on whether you respond to reality… or your perception of it.

Let’s dig into what that really means—especially when it comes to your body, your progress, and the way you approach challenge.


Your Body Speaks. Are You Listening—or Interpreting?

Anytime you start a new fitness or therapy program—especially one that’s truly holistic—it’s going to challenge you. It might expose weaknesses, bring up tension you’ve ignored, or feel “hard” in unfamiliar ways.

But most people don’t just feel that difficulty—they add meaning to it:

  • “This is torture.”
  • “My body can’t handle this.”
  • “I’m not cut out for this kind of training.”
  • “I’m broken.”
  • “It’s too much.”

Those are interpretations, not facts.

The fact might be:
👉 “This stretch is tight.”
👉 “I’ve never moved like this before.”
👉 “I don’t yet know how to do this.”

That’s a very different experience.


Example: The Bicep Femoris Stretch

Let’s say I give you a bicep femoris myofascial stretch—a targeted stretch for your hamstrings in their full fascial chain.

It’s not “hard” in the traditional sense. But if your body needs it, it will feel tight or awkward or intense.

You get to choose:

  • Will you experience it for what it is?
  • Or will you pile on emotional baggage and make it mean something bigger?

The One Thing That Sabotages Progress

The #1 thing I see stop people from progressing is not the exercises themselves—it’s the mental meaning they assign to those exercises.

If your internal voice says “I shouldn’t feel this way” or “this means I’m broken,” you’re setting yourself up for resistance, frustration, and eventually—quitting.

But if you stay present with what’s actually happening in your body—without judgment—you stay open to growth.


What to Do Instead

Here’s how I coach clients to navigate this:

  1. Expect challenge. New experiences will feel weird. That doesn’t mean they’re bad.
  2. Create space. Journaling, breathwork, or mindfulness can help you separate your emotions from the facts.
  3. Observe your mind. Notice what stories pop up. You don’t have to believe them.
  4. Return to your body. Stay grounded in what you’re actually feeling—tightness, confusion, effort—not the meaning you’re assigning to it.

The Big Shift: Let the Process Change You

Doing something new isn’t just about gaining a new skill. It’s about letting the process change you.

You won’t get new results by staying the same person. That includes your body, your thoughts, your habits, your expectations.

So don’t just focus on doing something different.
Focus on becoming someone different—someone who can handle challenge without collapse, who stays present, and who grows through the experience.


This Is Holistic Fitness

At SolCore Fitness, I teach from an osteopathic model—where therapy and training are part of the same continuum, and the body is treated as a connected whole.

That means I don’t just give you workouts. I give you a framework that teaches your body and mind to adapt.

So when something is tight, you don’t panic.
You observe. You adjust. You continue.

That’s how long-term change actually happens.


Ready to Try?

Drop a comment if this resonates.
Have you noticed yourself layering meaning onto your experience? Have you ever self-sabotaged without realizing it?

Awareness is the first step.
And I’d love to hear what you’ve discovered.

See you next week.

— Ekemba Sooh
SolCore Fitness & Therapy

P.S Read more about my journey! It is filled with multiple moments of Ah Ha’s

Ekemba’s Story

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Is Hanging For Back Pain A Real And Safe Solution? 🧐

Back pain affects over 550 million people worldwide, and with that kind of number, it’s no surprise people are searching for relief—fast. One of the more popular trends? Hanging from a pull-up bar to decompress the spine. But is this method really helping, or could it be doing more harm than good?

Let’s break it down through a holistic, fascia-informed lens, so you can understand what’s really happening when you hang—and whether it’s a smart choice for your back.

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🔍 Why People Hang for Back Pain

The theory is simple: when you hang, your body weight creates a gentle pull on the spine, which seems to decompress the vertebrae. It’s popular among physical therapists and fitness influencers who promote spinal decompression as a fix for bulging discs, tight backs, or just general discomfort.

But like most things in health and fitness, simple doesn’t mean effective—and it certainly doesn’t mean safe for everyone.


🚫 When Hanging Might Do More Harm Than Good

Let’s start by understanding what kind of back pain you’re dealing with. Here’s a simple breakdown:

  1. No pain – Fine for general feel-good movement
  2. Semi-chronic – Occasional flare-ups
  3. Chronic – Consistent daily discomfort
  4. Acute – Sharp, intense pain or injury

🔴 Acute or chronic pain? Avoid hanging. Your body is already inflamed and dysregulated. Hanging adds unpredictable force to an unstable system—it’s not specific, and it can worsen the problem.

🟡 Semi-chronic? Maybe—but only for brief relief, not correction.

🟢 No pain? You’re free to experiment, but don’t expect it to fix much.


🌀 What Really Happens When You Hang?

When you lift your feet and hang from a bar, your body wobbles. That instability triggers your core and spinal muscles to contract constantly in small ways just to keep you from falling.

That means instead of fully relaxing and lengthening your spine, your body is busy protecting itself. And contraction ≠ decompression.


📌 The Specificity Problem

Even if hanging did decompress the spine, it doesn’t target where you need it most.

Back pain often shows up in specific areas—like L4-L5, T12-L1, or T8-T9. But when you hang, your body moves where it’s already free and open—not where it’s stuck.

➡️ Correction requires specificity. If you can’t direct the force to the exact spinal segment in need, you’re just stretching the wrong places.


🪢 No Fixed Point = No Progress

To correct posture or decompress a joint, your body needs fixed points above and below the target area. Hanging removes that control. It’s like trying to stretch a rubber band without holding the ends.

You can’t direct the force. You can’t stabilize. You can’t be specific. And without that, no real change happens.


🔄 Twisting While Hanging? Please Don’t.

Some videos promote twisting your body while hanging. That’s biomechanically dangerous.

When you twist your spine under load (yes, hanging counts), you create compression, not decompression. The spinal discs and surrounding ligaments are not built to rotate freely under tension—especially not in a compromised state.


🏗️ Hanging Is a Closed Kinetic Chain

If you’re trying to create space in your spine, you need open kinetic chain movement—freedom at the end joint. But hanging is closed-chain. Your arms are fixed; your spine becomes the weak link under tension.

That’s the opposite of what you want if your goal is spinal decompression.


🔧 So What Should You Do Instead?

Back pain isn’t always caused by your back. Common culprits include:

  • Herniated or bulging discs
  • Pinched nerves or blood vessels
  • Structural imbalance
  • Weakness or asymmetry in trunk muscles
  • Poor fascial tension distribution

You need to balance strength and mobility across your entire structure. That includes your spine, diaphragm, abs, ribs, back muscles, and everything connected via fascia.

🧠 And most importantly—you must re-educate your body. Passive hanging doesn’t do that. You need specific exercises and postures that restore function, reduce compression, and create stability through proper alignment.


✅ Here’s What Works Better

  • ELDOA – Targeted spinal decompression with fascial tension
  • Myofascial Stretching – Postural rebalancing to relieve tension
  • Holistic Training – Programs designed to move you from dysfunction to function
  • Structural Assessment – To identify where to start and how to build safely

💬 Final Word: Hanging Feels Easy—But That Doesn’t Make It Effective

It’s tempting to think hanging can fix your back pain. It’s quick. It’s simple. But the body isn’t simple—it’s complex, interconnected, and intelligent.

If you want sustainable relief and a stronger, more mobile spine, don’t rely on hacks. Invest in your body’s full system.


🎁 Want Help?

Get started for free:

Let’s move beyond hacks—and help your body become something greater.

it’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.

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