Make a Better Decision

"Make a better decision" is a phrase that Dr. Kelly Starrett of Mobility WOD (Workout Of the Day) attributes to his wife, Juliet. In their context, it refers to holding your body in a better position or moving with better technique.

So instead of saying, "Don't hunch forward!" or "Don't sit so much during the day!" you'd say, "Make a better decision."

The phrase has been on my mind quite a bit of late as it can apply to anything and everything. Though it's not my theme for 2013, it's sort of becoming it.

Let's go back to Kelly though. I first saw him, where else?, on creativeLIVE. He did a guest segment on Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Life workshop and I was immediately intrigued.

I checked out Kelly's blog, Mobility WOD, where he posts short videos demonstrating stretches and exercises to improve your body's mobility. He's got a doctorate in physical therapy so he also talks about anatomy to give context to the workout. It's really pretty cool. (They're all designed to be done in under about 10 minutes.)

His philosophy is: "All human beings should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves."

You can get a bit of an introduction from his creativeLIVE workshop, Maintaining Your Body. The intro segments for each day are free to watch.

I'd check out his blog before buying the course though. It's best to start his blog from the beginning:

The Squat

There isn't an archive listed, so here are the next Early posts in order.

With just the first three episodes, I discovered tightnesses I didn't realize I had.

Here's what's awesome though: now that I'm aware of it, I can work on it.

I always used to say, "I'm just not a flexible person," as though it were an immutable fact. Kelly Starrett makes me believe change is possible and provides tools and knowledge for the journey.

"Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent." I don't recall who he said said that first, but it's very true. The body is tremendously adaptable, so if you slouch long enough, that will feel more comfortable than sitting up straight. But just like Paul Atreides can choose to keep his hand in the box of pain, we can show our humanness by choosing better positions even if they are uncomfortable initially.

And, yes, Kelly Starrett is totally a fan of Dune. How could I not like him?

Here are some MWOD's you might find handy:
Ep. 2 Couch stretch: try the couch version if the floor version is too hard. It was insanely hard for me at first.

Ep.3 Heel cord stretch: Doing this first makes the squat much easier.

Ep. 35: Surviving the Airplane Seat

Ep. 38: Your Pillow is Killing Your Neck? How you sleep can have a big impact on your shoulders and neck.

He's got over 500 videos, and I'm gradually working my way through them (some things I don't have the setup for). You can also search by body part if you're having issues with a particular area.

10-15 minutes a day of working on your nasty tissues adds up over time. As does adopting good positions and movement throughout the day. I'm in!


Two years ago on TTaT: Snowfall