Did I just make a pun about my spine using a Justin Timberlake song lyric from 2006? Yes. Am I ashamed? No. Actually, I am a little, because a) the song is highly problematic in its culturally-appropriative and heteronormative discourses and b) it's nearly ten years old, which shows up the questionable music tastes of my much-less-politically-aware teenage self. With that as a caveat, then, I shall proceed with today's post - because it was too perfect a summation of the topic to ignore.
As will be obvious from the titles of my previous blogs (Walking by 2013 and 2015) my focus, for the greater part of the last few years, has been on my legs - or, more accurately, my limbs. The reason for that is twofold. Firstly, I was training to walk to collect my degree, and for walking, in the literal rather than colloquial sense of the word, one principally requires strong legs. Secondly, when my chair broke, it had such a detrimental effect on my core abdominal stability that I (somewhat ironically for a non-ambulant individual) didn't have much else to keep me upright other than those legs and arms.
Since I got my new chair, though, my stability is much improved. This means that I actually have the energy to work on my core again and to get the muscles back into the habit of supporting me. It also means I feel safe enough to move in a more flexible way. These are both hugely important if I want to maintain and extend the positive difference my consultant has observed in my spine. So, over the last few days, I've been incorporating exercises which have more emphasis on my upper body - from the mission of trying to reach my toes to (slightly less adventurous) diaphragmatic breathing, the latter in preparation for my first singing lesson in an absolute age at some point this week.
Hopefully, if I keep up this regime, I've got a chance of bringing 'flexi' back - and maybe even the original JT lyric...who knows!?
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