* I am currently updating my blog with posts and newsletters from the past year. This is a newsletter from August 2025.
Hi All,
Are you feeling strong, springy, and poised? Or does even the thought of a sneeze, cough, or sudden jump make you brace, and maybe cringe? If you’re finding that everyday movements are starting to feel unstable or you’re losing confidence in your body’s abilities, it could be a sign that some of your inherent, built-in mechanisms are inhibited or not functioning as they should.
Gary Ward, founder of Anatomy in Motion (AIM) shares a powerful principle: “Muscles always lengthen before they contract.” In other words, for movement to be fluid and efficient, your muscles must first be able to lengthen before they engage. This concept (one of the five big rules of motion), is supported by research showing that muscles can generate up to four times more strength when they’re pre-stretched before contracting. Think: coil and recoil, spring and propel, load and explode.
This is known as the catapult mechanism. For instance, when you jump, you first dip downward. To throw a ball forward, you pull your arm back first. These opposing actions prepare the body to generate power through elastic recoil, and this power is dependent on a network of other intrinsic systems working together.
One such system is the Tie-Bar Mechanism of the foot, which I touched on in my previous letter, “Never Take Away Forefoot Splay.” Our body’s architecture is beautifully intelligent, constantly working to self-correct, especially when we give it the right neurological input and movement opportunities. When inherent structure meets daily habit, we unlock our body’s potential to support us into older age with strength, ease, and resilience.
Redefining how we understand movement is at the heart of the work I do, and I feel truly privileged to walk that path with you.
On a personal note, I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be visiting The Netherlands with my mum (my first trip back in over 30 years!) It’s a very special opportunity, and I’ll be away from September 14th until approximately mid-October. Will you miss me? 😊 I know I’ll miss you!
If you’d like to build or refine a home program before I go, now is the perfect time to schedule some 1:1 sessions or join a class or two. Let’s keep your movement momentum going while I’m away 👍
Yours in Movement & Health,
Fem.