metabolism

In surveys of what people find physically attractive in a partner, a shapely butt is often highly rated. Perhaps it’s no surprise, but if you want, there are even apps to help! So, are good-looking glutes all about sex appeal and filling out our clothing in a flattering fashion? While these concerns may be valid, it is also true that well-toned glutes have many other, profound, but less widely recognized attributes. 

This blog post takes a look at the bigger picture of glute function. You may be surprised to find out just how much your glutes can contribute to healthy posture and a pain-free body.  

Glorious glutes—not just a “nice to have”

Your glutes potentially form the largest muscle group and have the largest impact. Most of us realize at some point in our lives, perhaps due to overdone squats or steep hill climbing, that the glutes are major players in sports and exercise. But if we don’t need them for competitive sports or challenging hiking, is it still worth investing in them for better returns? Let’s take a look at the dividends.

Reduce stress on your lower back

Glutes have a crucial role in offloading stress from the lower back and sacroiliac joints. When the glutes are weak, the lower back muscles work harder to try and stabilize the pelvis and trunk, leading to overuse and pain. When the glutes are strong, along with the inner corset, they steady the pelvis and lower back. This reduces the risk of wear and tear to discs and bones, nerve pain, and muscle spasm in the area.

Vigorous and/or repetitive movement, without the gluteal strength and pelvic stability shown here, leaves the back and spine more vulnerable to damage. (Photographs by Eadweard Muybridge, 1872–​​1885)

Avoid sciatica and piriformis syndrome 

True sciatica occurs when there is pressure on the sciatic nerve, usually from a herniated disc or degenerative changes in the spinal joints. The symptoms may be numbness, tingling, burning and/or electrical shock-like pain. It usually extends from the buttock down the leg, and sometimes the foot, on one side. The Gokhale Method helps by restoring the anteverted position of the pelvis, and decompressing the lumbar spine where the sciatic nerve roots exit. We call the resulting natural alignment a J-spine.

Piriformis Syndrome is a condition characterized by pain, tingling, or numbness in the buttocks and often down the leg. It occurs when the piriformis muscle compresses or irritates the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve passes under (or, in some individuals, through) the piriformis muscle, and is particularly prone to overwork and disturb the sciatic nerve if its neighbor, gluteus medius, is not doing its duty. The Gokhale Method encourages healthy pelvic positioning and gluteal function to allow the sciatic nerve free passage through the area. 

The profile view (right) shows swayed, leaning back posture, which causes problematic tightening in the posterior chain muscles and compresses the lower spine, including its discs and nerves. 

Make your movement strong, flexible, and stable

Your glutes are the powerhouse muscles that propel you in climbing, squatting, running, jumping, and more. They also work to control those movements, and are key to maintaining your balance. But glutes are not just for vigorous exercise…

In walking, it is your glutes that enable you to correctly achieve forward motion, rather than relying overly on your psoas and quads, shuffling, or falling forward. Glute activation brings a natural smoothness and grace to walking that we call glidewalking. Glidewalking allows your front foot to meet the ground deliberately but lightly, which is gentle on your joints; it also stretches your psoas with every step. 

Long jumper Khaddi Sagnia of Sweden uses her glutes to power the run up and propel her amazing jumping…and also to glidewalk away.

Muscles support a healthy metabolism 

The muscular system plays an integral role in our body’s metabolism. Well-used muscles will be larger, helping to burn calories rather than store them. This can help to keep insulin levels low in the blood and can contribute to a healthy metabolism and weight range. 

Well-toned glutes contribute to a healthy muscular and metabolic system. Man at His Bath by Gustave Caillebotte, 1884.

The foremost antiaging strategy—beautiful buttocks!

Never mind face yoga, cosmetic lifts, or surgical implants. Rather than costly interventions that do nothing to stop you losing your balance, strength, and mobility, embrace the art and science of how to rejuvenate your body by learning to move as you are meant to. Healthy posture can greatly improve your body’s architecture, self-confidence, health span—and your appearance as a bonus!

 
As infants (left) we instinctively align ourselves well, making good use of our muscles. In our society, adopting poor postural habits as we go through life results in lack of healthy muscle tone, like “glute amnesia”—flat, wasted muscles that have forgotten how to work (right).

Best next action steps

We invite you to join us for a themed Free Online Workshop: Wake Up Your Glutes, They Snooze, You Lose, on Friday, September 6 at 12:30 pm PST, in which you will learn how to make every step a rep! A replay will be available over the weekend if you cannot join live. So sign up, and you will also receive a special offer.

This workshop launches our 21-day Strong Glutes, Strong Body Gokhale Fitness challenge, which will run from Sept 9–29, to help you continue to build strength and improve your posture.

Welcome to our first blog post in a new series on running. This series is designed to be useful to beginners and would-be beginners, as well as seasoned runners and everyone in between. 

Running is primal

Running was a defining feature in our development as a species. We are built to run. As children, almost all of us enjoyed this facility. You may believe that you are too injured, too old, or too uncoordinated to consider jogging—and you may be right—but I would still like to invite you to bring running onto your radar as something to work towards. 

As little children we would break into a run without a second thought—it was fun! Pexels

To quote the title of a best-selling book on the subject¹, we were all “Born to Run” in the same sense that we were born to sit, stand, and walk. But unlike the Mexican tribe featured in the book, we no longer have a healthy baseline posture on which it’s safe to add the additional healthy stress of running. 

Christopher McDougall’s 2009 bestseller, Born to Run, popularized the debate on natural running. Profile Books Ltd, 2009

The primal posture principles that prepare us well for running are beneficial to our health and fitness even if we never become a regular runner. I have jogged, on and off over the years, and enjoyed the many benefits it provides. 

The benefits of running:

• Improves cardiovascular health, strengthening heart and lungs
• Boosts metabolism, supporting a healthy weight
• Builds lower body strength
• Exposes you to fresh air and daylight, especially important for indoor workers
• Elevates mood and relieves stress via natural biochemical changes
• Creates community with other runners, or time for yourself, as per your needs 
• Practices and integrates healthy posture in a holistic activity

These park runners are enjoying themselves and getting fitter! But some twisting torsos and tucked pelvises here are likely taking a toll. Healthy posture makes running more efficient and avoids damage.

I’ve engaged with running experts like Danny Dreyer, Dan Lieberman, and Barefoot Ted and reflected on how the Gokhale Method® interfaces with running. Our teacher Michelle Ball, who, amongst the avid runners in our community, has possibly had the most experience of putting Gokhale Method principles into running practice, will author the upcoming series. We begin here with her story in her own words:

Gokhale Method teacher Michelle Ball teaches in Tasmania and mainland Australia (when borders are open).

Michelle's story

I started running when I was 18 years old. At my first attempt I was able to run a block and then I had to walk a block. Each day, I was able to run a bit longer and walk less. Doing run-walk intervals, when you are learning, is the best way to ease your way in safely and stay motivated. Eventually, I was able to run without walking in between. 

I loved the freedom of being able to put on my shoes and go. I found that it was great for stress relief, mental clarity, and my fitness improved. I could pack my shoes wherever I travelled. Running allowed me to see more of a place in the same amount of time as walking did. I ran through parks, in cities and anywhere else that I could. It was addictive! I now live in Tasmania, and I still run most days, mainly on trails or at the beach. It is the most consistent thing I have ever done in my life. I consider myself a recreational runner. I run because I enjoy it and it has become a form of meditation for me.

Michelle runs on one of Tasmania’s beautiful coastal trails.

It has not always been a bed of roses though. I experienced some injuries before discovering the Gokhale Method, but the Gokhale Method influenced me to change my running style and gave me tools to help prevent further damage. 

Today, many of my massage clients tell me they don’t run due to injury. They say, “My knees/hips /back won’t allow it anymore.” I feel sad when I hear about people giving up on things they once enjoyed. Having a better understanding of how the body is meant to work can open doors and possibilities once more. 

I look forward to sharing my experiences as a runner and posture teacher with those of you on this journey.

Michelle Ball, Gokhale Method Teacher, using healthy posture to support her running.

Workshops

If you would like to find out more about how the Gokhale Method can help support you, whether you are currently sedentary or a seasoned runner, sign up to join one of Esther's upcoming FREE Online workshops.

Reference:

¹ Christopher McDougall, 2009, Born to Run, Profile Books Ltd