Erica Ziel, deep core exercise specialist, talks about the deep connections throughout the body and how your fascia and muscles impact everything from your toes to the top of your head. Learn about how Erica helps her students heal and release their fascia from inherited patterns of movement that cause dysfunction, and how to properly train your core to support your body and move without pain. [0:30] As a child, Erica had daily knee pains that only got worse as the years went on. After finally seeing a specialist about the pain, she was told the solution was to simply strengthen her legs. This put her on the path to learn about exercise science and the body. She began developing her own methodologies through her experience, especially when it comes to pre and post-natal women. [2:30] The pelvic floor and the fascia is a very important area of the body but people don’t talk about it or how to address pelvic floor pain. The quality of your life depends a lot on the health of your pelvic floor. [4:00] So many women are told that healing isn’t possible and that they just have to live with the pain and discomfort. [4:40] One common mistake that women make is drawing their belly toward their spine during exercise. This restricts breathing and blood flow to the pelvic floor. Tucking in your pelvis is another mistake that’s come out of the fitness industry. You need to stop focusing solely on your glutes and think about your pelvic position. [6:15] Constantly rolling your shoulders is also an issue as the forceful movement shuts down your core. The more forceful you are in trying to force your body to do something, the more it rebels. [7:15] Be aware of how you are holding your body throughout the day. Try to stand more during your day and sit on a flat surface so you sit up taller. How you sit directly impacts your pelvic floor and lower back. Let your shoulders relax and use your mid back for support. [9:05] If you’re standing, be aware of your knees. If you are locking your knees, it puts a lot of pressure on your lower back. [9:50] Dr. Anna has been experiencing more soas pain since the beginning of the pandemic. Any negative innervation in the connective tissues of our body is not good. As we age that tissue becomes more stiff and less flexible, which is why Dr. Anna advocates for an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. [11:25] Fascia is connected from head to toe and fascia release is an important part of healing the body. A strong core is critical to the healthy function of the pelvic floor. [12:50] Our inner line that begins at the big toe and goes up the inner thighs, pelvis, and hips has a direct impact on pelvic floor health. Many women experience back pain or pelvic floor issues without realizing it may be related. Many times, where you feel pain and dysfunction isn’t the root cause. It’s just the weak link that gave way first. [14:25] Fascia goes through and around all of our muscles, organs and nerves. Fascia informs the way that we move, some of which is hereditary. It’s possible that you may have been walking wrong your whole life because of how you learned when you were a child. [16:10] The way that we have been moving in our life makes our fascia stronger for that movement pattern. As we walk we should be creating an oppositional spiral throughout our core, but many women are stiff and stuck when they walk. The spiral motion patterns allow the fascia to work throughout the body. [18:35] It’s hard to relearn how to move. You have to trust your body’s ability to move and change and improve. We can create new fascia and learn how to become strong in all movements by integrating the entire body as much as possible. [20:30] Functional exercise that incorporates moving the whole body is game-changing. Doing exercises correctly versus incorrectly makes all the difference in the world. Muscle is the organ of longevity, and women need to exercise to stay flexible, supple, and healthy. [23:00] Emotions are stored in the muscles of th