Once again, it’s Valentine’s Day. I love Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t take much to make me happy, and just knowing that I am appreciated is good enough for me. But, for some people, Valentine’s Day is even more stressful than Christmas. Expectations are high and the pressure is on.     I have a friend who has been known to give her husband the cold shoulder for weeks if he doesn’t come through with just the perfect gift for her on Valentine’s Day. The problem is, she never gives him any hints of what she might want, and every year he disappoints her. You’d think one of them would figure it out by now.     My single friends either ignore the holiday or try to live vicariously through those of us who are happily married. Even my married friends...

It amazes me how many people suffer from low back pain when they simply do not have to. By using a combination of gentle therapeutic exercise, core strengthening, postural awareness and movement exploration you can transition from low back pain to no back pain. It’s actually easier than you may think. First, let’s address sitting. Most of us sit for long periods at a time, and I have never met a chair that is comfortable and provides proper support for anyone, let alone everyone. And don’t even get me started on airplane seats. You can’t change the chair, but you can make a few easy adjustments to support yourself and reduce unnecessary strain on your back by following these easy steps: 1). Make sure your spine is properly supported by using a small towel roll behind...

    When I was a little girl, my mother used to take us grocery shopping with her. I had two older sisters, and my Mom was smart enough not to take all of us with her at the same time. She had us on a rotating schedule, which meant that each child had her turn to accompany her to the A&P while the other two stayed home.     The child of the week had the honor of selecting the cereal and a bag of candy for the week. We didn’t often get candy, but my mother would always have a small bag on hand tucked up in the highest kitchen cabinet that we couldn’t possibly reach even if the three of us collaborated all of our efforts.     The cereal of the week was no problem. The sister on deck would usually select a variety pack, so everyone was happy, more or less. But the candy was...

    While my husband and I were packing up our SUV to return home from Thanksgiving in the mountains, we were greeted with quite a surprise. Our vehicle was covered with dirt and dust, but there appeared to be a pattern or some sort of order to the dirty smudges. We looked closer and noted that the smudges were actually paw prints. Fairly large paw prints. Incredulous, we looked at  each other….BEAR!     We walked around the SUV and saw how carefully the little guy had gone around the vehicle and looked in the windows. There were prints on the back bumper where he must have raised himself up to look in the back window. There was another print on the passenger side window where he supported himself to look inside. There were even nose prints on the window where he must have pressed...

While preparing our Thanksgiving dinner at our favorite mountain hangout, I heard a bit of commotion outside. I stepped outside to see what all the excitement was about. Across the street several cars were slamming on their brakes, tires squealing, and pulling over onto the side of the road. Car doors opened and people started pouring out of the cars with their cameras ready. Wondering what caught their attention, I noticed two huge bull elk standing in the grass, grazing, and minding their own business. The tourists seemed to be getting dangerously close to the elk trying to get their pictures. The basic rules of wildlife etiquette, so to speak, is to admire them from a distance, and do not invade their personal space. You do not approach them, you do not feed them, and if the animal changes...

    I absolutely love autumn. I love everything about it, and I especially love autumn in Western Pennsylvania where I grew up. Over the years, I had promised myself that someday I would go back during this special time. Two years ago, I did just that. I went home for a ten day visit. The weather was beautiful, and the colors were glorious!     I spent every morning and afternoon with my parents. But, when it got close to three o’clock I would speed dial my sister. “Hey, can I pick up the kids from school today? Can I take them to the park to play?” After all, I needed to get outside, and I didn’t know anyone else who was available at three in the afternoon. I also didn’t know anyone else who had the energy to keep up with me.     I would race to the school...

During my journey as a Feldenkrais Practitioner, I have had the opportunity to teach to a wide variety of populations in many different and sometimes challenging environments. One of my favorite experiences took place two years ago, when I was invited to teach a workshop for a friend of mine who was also a psychologist who specialized in Equine Therapy. It sounded interesting as well as intriguing, so I agreed, even though I reminded my friend that I have very little (if any) experience with horses. He assured me that it didn’t matter; he simply wanted me to give a workshop to a small group of his colleagues regarding Feldenkrais. Okey-dokey. Now that is a subject I am comfortable with and have some experience. I met the group at my friend’s ranch high in the Rocky Mountains....

I live vicariously through other people’s vacations. I hear them make their plans, see their photos on Facebook, and listen to how much fun they had and how relaxed they are when they come home. I listen wistfully….I want some of that. Vacations are a distant memory; I haven’t had one in over 5 years. I would love to sit on a beach, or at least go somewhere for a change of scenery. My husband travels a lot. My schedule is unpredictable. We have to plan ahead just to go out to dinner. Then a miracle happened. I looked at our calendar and realized we had about 36 hours of free time over the weekend. An idea began to form in my brain. If we planned carefully, and if we timed everything perfectly, we could head up to our favorite mountain town at the foot of Rocky Mountain...

    With the current economy, we hear over and over again that we should invest in gold. I don’t know much about finances, but I do know that sound investments can reap huge rewards. Thirty five years ago I invested in gold, Colorado style. As far as I’m concerned, I’m getting a fantastic return on my investment. What do you think?     It’s important to choose your investments well. Be healthy!Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP

   I love neuroscience, and anything that has to do with the brain. My neurons fire into overdrive just thinking about the subject. The Feldenkrais Method(R) is based on the scientific principle of neuroplasticity, which simply means that our nervous system is inherently flexible, malleable and able to change during the course of our entire lifetime.     I could describe in some detail the physiological changes that occur on a cellular level, including the chemical reactions, cascade of neurotransmitters and hormones that are released during Feldenkrais lessons that allow for these changes to occur. However, it just sounds like “blah, blah, blah….blah, blah blah.” I believe it would be more effective to translate all the science babble into practicle application. Here it...