Is it magic or neurology? Weird hack for happier wrists
"Brainy What-Why-How"
Your weekly nibble of science-backed goodness to help you move better and feel unstoppable.
🧠
What (the TL:DR)
Working on your ankle plantar flexion* may help improve your wrist extension**.
Why (the geeky neurology)
Because of our evolution from quadrupedal (four legged) to bipedal (two legged) animals, we have developed reflexes that live within the spinal cord to help us walk.
To keep it simple, this means that joints in our upper body have a "twin" in opposite side of the lower body.
And thus, your right wrist and left ankle...
and left wrist and right ankle...
are neurologically connected through this reflex.
Often used to help rehabilitate stroke patients and others who have lost normal walking patterns, this reflex can also be used in our general movement practice, like asana!
If you're a movement professional
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How (apply it to your life)
If you have wrists that give you grief when you put weight on them, try pointing (hard! use those muscles!) the opposite foot to the wrist you want to work on.
Then see if your wrist feels any better!
“It's possible to be miserable having everything one could possibly want, and it's possible to have practically nothing and be beaming with joy. Your happiness isn't predicated on the next good thing happening." — Sam Harris
Have you tried it yet? The wrists/ankles thing? Try it!!
Adell xoxo
plantar flexion: basically pointing your toes
wrist extension: the position your wrists are in when you're doing anything on your hands, such as plank pose, downward dog, or peacock pose (our focus this month on Move With Adell! 🦚 )
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