Transcript

Kristen Bowen:Welcome to Living the Good Life Radio. My name is Kristen Bowen and I am over the moon to introduce you to not only a dear friend but a mentor of mine because Erin Oakeson from Sports Academy taught me about our topic today before you saw it all over Facebook. She is the go-to expert when it comes to fascia, and I want you to have an understanding of fascia, but first let me tell you a little bit about Erin.

 She has been a massage therapist for 12 years. She specializes in prenatal care and infant massage. She’s a foot zoner. She’s a massage therapist. She’s a doula. She has got you covered when it comes to taking care of your body. Fascia. Why do you need to know about it? What do you need to understand about it? How do you fix it? We’re going to cover all of those things with Erin. Erin, welcome to Living the Good Life Radio.

 Erin Oakeson:Thank you so much for having me. I am super excited to talk about this. Fascia covers every single part of our body. It’s in everything in our body and it is so important and we just don’t even think about it. When you think about getting a massage you don’t think about working your fascia or how it’s contributing to your pain in any way, but a lot of the times fascia is the root and the heart of a lot of issues that people come especially to me with.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so explain to me fascia. Where is it? What does it look like? What’s its role in my body?

 Erin Oakeson:Good question, and this is a little bit gross but it’s the best way to think about it. If you’ve ever prepared chicken or if you’ve ever seen raw chicken, there’s this slimy film over it that you can pick up and take off-

 Kristen Bowen:It kind of separates, but it’s a little sticky.

 Erin Oakeson:Exactly. That is fascia. That’s just the chicken’s fascia. We have that in our whole body. It covers our muscles. It covers bones. It covers tendons. It actually holds your organs in place. It is everywhere in your body, and so it functions a little bit differently in different parts of your body. With bones and muscles, it helps those bones and muscles move and glide over each other. It allow your skeletal and muscular systems to move and function properly with the visceral areas. Your-

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, whoa whoa whoa. You got to help me, Erin. What do you mean when you say the visceral areas?

 Erin Oakeson:Organs.

 Kristen Bowen:I feel really smart when I say that, but I wasn’t sure what I was saying. So the organs.

 Erin Oakeson:The organs. Yes. It covers your organs and keeps them in place.

 Kristen Bowen:So it’s pretty crucial.

 Erin Oakeson:Very crucial.

 Kristen Bowen:What’s the first thing that goes wrong with our fascia and how do we know if our fascia needs some work and some attention?

 Erin Oakeson:Number one, do you have knots in your body?

 Kristen Bowen:Oh yes. I have two places in my body that shall remain unnamed that I tend to get knots in. They just … I get knots. I do.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, and most people think that that’s a muscular issue, right?

 Kristen Bowen:Right, it’s my muscle.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, it’s not. Your muscle is incapable of knotting up. It can shorten and it can tighten. It cannot knot though, if that makes sense.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, so I think I know what you’re going to say but I’m going to ask you this question. Erin, why is my muscle getting knots then if it’s incapable of knotting as a muscle?

 Erin Oakeson:It’s the fascia that surrounds the muscle that’s knotting up.

 Kristen Bowen:Wait a minute. So if the fascia surrounds the muscle and the fascia is messing with the muscle, the muscles hold your body in alignment.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:And so the fascia can throw you out of alignment.

 Erin Oakeson:Very much so.

 Kristen Bowen:So why haven’t we been talking fascia more?

 Erin Oakeson:Science has barely just started looking-

 Kristen Bowen:To understand.

 Erin Oakeson:Into it and understanding it, and there are things if you go on Google online and look up about fascia, you’re going to hear a lot of different things and it’s interesting. A lot of people will be talking about the same types of things but using different terminology because it’s not a widely studied and understood science, even though it should be. It covers every single muscle and every single organ in our body.

 Kristen Bowen:You know what’s interesting is because you and I have been trying to pull this podcast off for a very long time.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:You’ve been talking about fascia and teaching me about fascia for a long time. You were the first person that I heard it from, and when I googled it a while ago there was not as much stuff as there is now. I googled it before you came on. I went to the Google and I was like, “WebMD has articles now on fascia,” and that was not so three years ago. You couldn’t just google and bring up all of this Western literature about fascia, so we’re talking about it more as science understands it more.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes, and it’s interesting. There is a community of people who wanted to get together and study it, like doctors, Western medical people. Massage therapists, more Eastern thinking, and it’s interesting. Doctors wouldn’t come to it because it was like, “Oh, fascia. We don’t …” It didn’t really play a part in anything that we’re doing, so it took a while and they didn’t want to get discredited with their colleagues like, “Oh, you’re going to this woo-woo conference and talking about fascia.” Now it’s more like more doctors are getting onboard and more people are talking about it and willing to study it so that we have more answers in how it affects our lives and our bodies.

 Kristen Bowen:Now, the biggest thing. You’ve been teaching me about fascia and I connected my thyroid to my fascia, and as I’ve been more conscious and aware of taking care of my fascia, I think it’s made a difference in my thyroid. Talk to me. What’s your thoughts on that?

 Erin Oakeson:It’s one of those things you can’t say for sure, “Oh yes, there is a correlation between your thyroid and your fascia,” but your fascia covers your thyroid and it’s actually in your thyroid. It’s a porous, sometimes-

 Kristen Bowen:Stringy, sticky.

 Erin Oakeson:Stringy, sticky thing that helps support all of your organs and you think if there’s dysfunction in the fascia it’s going to pull on and affect your thyroid and other organs and muscles as well.

 Kristen Bowen:What’s the first place where our fascia’s going wrong? What are we doing that I’m getting knots in my muscles that I thought was my muscles that I’m now understanding I have knots in my fascia, not my muscles? What are we doing?

 Erin Oakeson:Number one, and I say this every single day and it’s one of those things that you don’t think a lot about. Water. Fascia has the ability to, because it’s kind of sticky, we want it more of a liquidy-

 Kristen Bowen:With fluidity.

 Erin Oakeson:Fluidity, thank you.

 Kristen Bowen:When you’re moving your hands … Sometimes I wish this was a TV show because as she’s moving her hands there’s a fluidity to it.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, and you want that fluidity to your fascia. If it doesn’t it can stick on itself, creating those knots which again, pulls muscle tissue.

 Kristen Bowen:And is sore.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Where my muscles are … Well, no no no. I’m learning. Where my fascia is knotted, my muscles are sore.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so now I want to bring in this word, Erin. Did you realize in this country alone it’s a billion dollar industry. A billion. I am not even sure I can wrap my head around what a billion dollars really is like. I can wrap my head around a million. I can wrap my head around ten million. Then after that it all starts to feel the same to me. It is a billion dollar industry. Cellulite.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. Cellulite is a fascial dysfunction.

 Kristen Bowen:It’s not cellulite. It’s puckery fascia, right?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. Right. If you think about this, think about your body. You’ve got your skeleton, your bones, your muscles sitting on top of those, and realize, all of these are covered in fascia, and then you’ve got this … It’s called the extracellular matrix. It’s just stuff. It’s where your lymphatic system moves through-

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, I know lymph. Lymph goes everywhere that your blood goes, but we have to pump it. Doesn’t have a heart like the blood, and so I need to get this clear. We have a matrix that the lymph is a part of. Is that right?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay. I just had to wrap my head around it.

 Erin Oakeson:Then there’s all of this different kind of tissue within that matrix, one of that being adipose tissue which is fat, and everybody has that. It’s actually-

 Kristen Bowen:Needed.

 Erin Oakeson:Needed, yeah, and then you’ve got more fascia and then your skin.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, so there’s layers to fascia.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:So I’ve been thinking of it only as the top, but there’s some layered-

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. Like I said, it’s all in everything and then it is this protective layer over everything as well.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so when you’re at Sports Academy and you’re doing a massage, which by the way if you need a massage, Erin’s the go-to girl. It’s her gift. So, I’m in there. Are you specifically massaging my fascia? Do I have to say, “Hey Erin, give me a fascia massage?”

 Erin Oakeson:You don’t have to say that. You can and I can work specifically on different aspects of the fascia, but it’s like coming in and saying, “Oh, you’re going to give me a massage. Will you pay attention to my skin as you’re doing that?”

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, because skin’s everywhere-

 Erin Oakeson:Everywhere.

 Kristen Bowen:In the massage. Oh, and fascia’s-

 Erin Oakeson:Everywhere.

 Kristen Bowen:It’s just a new eye opening for me. Okay, so when you do a massage you’re working fascia all through the massage just like you’re working skin.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:And you’re telling me that hydration is huge because if you don’t have enough water in your body your fascia is going to get-

 Erin Oakeson:Dehydrated.

 Kristen Bowen:Dehydrated, and that’s what creates the cellulite?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. It’s that adipose tissue. That tissue poking through the fascia, because it’s webbed and so there are little holes and if it’s normal and smooth and working-

 Kristen Bowen:You have normal, smooth skin.

 Erin Oakeson:It’s smooth, yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:And if it has problems, you have … Well, it’s a name that’s been given to it, but it’s puckered fascia, not cellulite.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes, exactly.

 Kristen Bowen:It’s puckered fascia. Okay, so is there a way to course correct that? Because just between you and me, I’ve got me some cellulite. Is there a way? Because I know when I do the coffee scrubs with the caffeine and I rub it back and forth, back and forth, that has helped a little bit on my cellulite, which is really I’m learning just puckered fascia, and that has helped a little bit. Are there ways that we can more deeply take care of our fascia?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes, lots of different ways.

 Kristen Bowen:Teach me. Teach me your ways.

 Erin Oakeson:A couple of different things is being hydrated is number one.

 Kristen Bowen:Crucial.

 Erin Oakeson:Crucial.

 Kristen Bowen:How much water do you get in a day?

 Erin Oakeson:Just between you and I, some days I’m better than others. On a good day I get about 150 ounces.

 Kristen Bowen:Really?

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:When you massage clients do you have to drink more water?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, to hydrate you.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:So, I need about 90 to 100. That’s where my hydration level is, and so knowing your hydration level in my opinion is crucial because if I drank 150 I’d wash out my electrolytes, but 150 is hydration for you. So knowing your hydration level is crucial and then sticking to it and hitting that number everyday. I track my water. Do you track yours, or are you just really good at drinking it?

 Erin Oakeson:I just have a good bottle that’s 40 ounces and so I just know-

 Kristen Bowen:How many of those you have to drink.

 Erin Oakeson:How many of those I need to drink.

 Kristen Bowen:I have to track mine a little bit or I get distracted, and this is what I end up doing as it gets to the end of the day and then I’m like, “I haven’t had enough water,” and so I’ll slam down like four, and then I’m up all night using the bathroom and it’s not really proper hydration.

 Erin Oakeson:I was just going to say, that’s not going to do any good for your fascia.

 Kristen Bowen:It’s really not if I’m only drinking water an hour before I go to bed. I do best when I track it. I have a little app on my phone that I track it, and I too have a water bottle that I know I need so many of these water bottles, and then I set my phone to remind me. I feel so much better when my pain … You and I were talking tonight at dinner before the podcast. I’m motivated by pain. That’s what motivated me because I have a lot of pain in my body and so I’m motivated to stay on top of that and I know if I drink water throughout the day I have less pain, because I’m taking care of my fascia. So if you’re listening right now and you have pain, I want you to make the connection of taking care of your fascia to pain control. It’s huge. It’s absolutely huge. What else can we do for the puckered fascia, cellulite kind of stuff? What else can we do? Water is huge, but just drinking water isn’t going to take away my puckered fascia.

 Erin Oakeson:Right. No, it won’t.

 Kristen Bowen:I got to be realistic. It’s [inaudible 00:15:15]

 Erin Oakeson:Exactly. Yeah, you need to work on the layer of fascia. One of the things the coffee scrub does, it doesn’t super effect the fascia but it does help that interstitial tissue-

 Kristen Bowen:That matrix that you talked about.

 Erin Oakeson:That extracellular matrix that I was talking about can trap toxins, and those toxins can actually be going through the fascia as well. Not just the adipose tissue, the fat. The coffee scrubs are helping to improve your lymphatic drainage system-

 Kristen Bowen:And circulation.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, so that can pull some of those out and give them a way to get out of your body.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, and it’s helped a little bit but it hasn’t taken it all the way away. You got some other stuff that’s a little bit more … It will make more of a difference.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Give me your ways.

 Erin Oakeson:Okay, perfect. There are-

 Kristen Bowen:Come on. Come on. Give me your ways. Give me your ways.

 Erin Oakeson:There are different tools and I think we’re going to link some-

 Kristen Bowen:Yes, we are.

 Erin Oakeson:On Amazon.

 Kristen Bowen:Because I have been buying tools. I have bought so many different tools and I have some very specific … I liked this one. That one was garbage. I like this one. Don’t even buy that one. So I’m going to save you from linking to the ones that I don’t like and that Erin doesn’t like and we’re just going to link to the ones that we really like, but there’s two different … Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Tell us what the tool will do and then let’s make sure to talk about the two different tools because they’re doing two very different things.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. I think one thing to start us off is think of a massage, because that’s where I’m coming from.

 Kristen Bowen:I’ll think of it. I’m all chill. I’m on the table.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. There’s nice music.

 Kristen Bowen:Not a care in the world. [inaudible 00:17:08] dark room and Erin’s got me. She’s just got me covered.

 Erin Oakeson:To lengthen the muscles, and this also affects the fascia, is pushing down and following the grain of the muscle. It helps to lengthen the muscle. It also helps to lengthen that fascia which will in turn help to lengthen the muscle as well. So we want to affect that-

 Kristen Bowen:Can you do that to yourself, Erin?

 Erin Oakeson:Most places, but-

 Kristen Bowen:You’re just saying take your knuckle into your muscle, push hard, and then pull down.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, but that’s-

 Kristen Bowen:It’s a lot nicer when you do it to me.

 Erin Oakeson:And I have people that I love and it is much nicer when they do it to me as well.

 Kristen Bowen:Yeah, because I just did that to myself on my thigh and I’m like, “That’s nothing like what Erin does to me.”

 Erin Oakeson:Welcome these awesome tools. These tools are designed to do the same type of thing but in a different way. There are ones that roll. You hold onto the stick-

 Kristen Bowen:And they roll.

 Erin Oakeson:And they roll, and that’s more like a massage. It’s bringing up-

 Kristen Bowen:It feels good.

 Erin Oakeson:It feels good, yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Like this morning I had a headache and so I rolled it on my neck.

 Erin Oakeson:Oh, yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:And it really opened up … When you take your fingers back there and do that little thing. It was like a little minuscule of that and it felt good. Is that moving fascia when it rolls?

 Erin Oakeson:It’s affecting fascia but not as much as we could be.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so we’re talking stationary.

 Erin Oakeson:We want stationary, yeah, and-

 Kristen Bowen:They look like little torture devices kind of.

 Erin Oakeson:They kind of do.

 Kristen Bowen:They really do, in fact my kids when they were little used to play swords with everything, and if they would have gotten these in their hands, major damage could have been done because they look like little torture devices.

 Erin Oakeson:Claws-

 Kristen Bowen:Yeah, and hooks.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, and different things, but one of the things that these are doing is they’re breaking up those fascial adhesions. A couple of things to keep in mind as you’re doing it. Don’t go too deep.

 Kristen Bowen:I hurt myself.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:I was excited. I tend to be a go getter. I’m like, “Oh, I’m going to do this and if a little is good a lot is better.” How do you know how much to do?

 Erin Oakeson:That’s a good question. Always start off lighter, because you will want to get deeper-

 Kristen Bowen:Should have done this podcast before I did it.

 Erin Oakeson:And you will get to a point where you can go deeper. It’s just, think about-

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, it’s like building a muscle. You just have to work it.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, and think about what we were talking about. There’s a layer of fascia right under your skin, so if you try to-

 Kristen Bowen:You have to work that first.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh. I just got the visual. I was going deep for a layer of fascia I had no business being into because I hadn’t worked the top layer.

 Erin Oakeson:Exactly.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh my gosh. Brilliant. Okay, so I want to know. When I was doing mine I really didn’t know what I was doing, Erin. Do you go back and forth? Do you go across? Do you go in circles?

 Erin Oakeson:Never circles.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, never.

 Erin Oakeson:Never circles.

 Kristen Bowen:Never circles. Okay.

 Erin Oakeson:It messes-

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, it would twist it.

 Erin Oakeson:It twists the … And that’s exactly what we want not to happen.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, okay. Never circles.

 Erin Oakeson:Those are the kind of things … Yeah, [inaudible 00:20:43]

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, sorry legs, because I think I circled.

 Erin Oakeson:You can look this up online. There are fascia lines in your body.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, how about if we link to some fascial lines of … Because there’s a lot of fascia stuff popping up right now. It’s all over Facebook.

 Erin Oakeson:Huge.

 Kristen Bowen:All over Instagram, and so I would like to link to some because you’ve been talking fascia for years with me. I’d like to link to some that have your eye that you go, “Oh, this is good.” So we’ll link to that in the show notes.

 Erin Oakeson:Perfect. One of the best things is to follow those lines is to go with those lines, and that’ll really, really help. Another thing, and it’s a technique in massage that we do all the time, is called cross fiber friction so you go against those fibers. You go perpendicular-

 Kristen Bowen:Diagonal? Perpendicular, so I go like that.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so perpendicular to the muscle.

 Erin Oakeson:You can really go any direction, just not-

 Kristen Bowen:Not circles.

 Erin Oakeson:Not circular.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so talk to me about this. I’m a huge sauna girl. I sauna. I love my sauna. It puts me in healing mode. It relaxes me. It decreases pain in my body like no other. We’ll have to do a podcast on sauna. I love my sauna. Am I better to do my fascia work before the sauna or after the sauna?

 Erin Oakeson:After, and actually if you can do it-

 Kristen Bowen:Oh. So I’m circling, before my sauna, but I’m alive. I’m alive. I’m okay.

 Erin Oakeson:It’s okay.

 Kristen Bowen:I messed up everything.

 Erin Oakeson:And that’s why you can continue on and just remedy what you’ve done.

 Kristen Bowen:Awesome.

 Erin Oakeson:And actually if you can do it in the sauna while your body is warm, that’s the absolute best. You think about those fibers. Everything relaxes and so if you start rubbing things while they’re relaxed-

 Kristen Bowen:Erin, I’m a multitasking, multilayer functional kind of girl. I’ve been mocked before in classes all the things I do at the same time, but I want to take care of my body. I invest in my body. It is the most glorious machine. It’s worth more than any car I’ve ever driven, and I’ve driven some dang expensive cars and it’s worth more than any of them. I take care of it. I also though don’t want to spend 24 hours a day on myself. I take care of myself so I can love and serve other people at a deeper level, and so if I can do a couple things at the same time-

 Erin Oakeson:I hear you.

 Kristen Bowen:I am all over that. So you’re telling me I can sit in my sauna and do my fascia work?

 Erin Oakeson:Oh yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, I am a happy girl.

 Erin Oakeson:That’s actually the best way to do it.

 Kristen Bowen:Do you not do it cold then? It’s not good to work on a fascia-

 Erin Oakeson:It’s not a good idea to do it cold.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, so what about I’ve hopped in a hot shower, and I like a really hot shower. Would that be a good time in the shower to work on fascia?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Because I realize not everybody has a sauna. I’m doing a sauna podcast and I will teach you how to do a sauna for 50 bucks. They’re amazing. You should have a sauna if you don’t. Everyone should have a sauna, and the money does not need to stand in the way of a sauna, but for people who haven’t listened to that podcast yet and don’t have a sauna, they can just do it after a good long hot shower or bath?

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah. During a long shower if you’re wanting to. Yeah, right after. I will put a space heater in my bathroom.

 Kristen Bowen:That’s what I do when I sauna.

 Erin Oakeson:Of course I’m a multitasker too so I’m doing a couple of things.

 Kristen Bowen:There’s a reason I like hanging with you.

 Erin Oakeson:I soak in my magnesium. I get all warmed up. Then I do my fascia work.

 Kristen Bowen:Can we talk about three foods that feed fascia?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes, please.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, okay. I’m going to let you and I’m going to keep my mouth shut, and I can actually do it but I’m physically holding my lips. Three foods.

 Erin Oakeson:Three foods which are the top three and the absolute best for fascia. Number one, magnesium.

 Kristen Bowen:Ahh! Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Magnesium! Because your fascia communicates, and there’s communication happening in your fascia and magnesium facilitates that. Magnesium relaxes and facilitates movement and energy. It’s the mineral of movement, so it’s a score for magnesium.

 Erin Oakeson:Think about if you’re actively working that fascia and if you’ve added magnesium into the mix so you’ve already relaxed it. You heat it up. It’s super relaxed, so as you use your tools it just takes everything to a whole new level.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, I just had an idea. Because you get me. You’re not going to mock me for my multitasking, multifunctional lifestyle. So, imagine this. I’ve got my Crio Bru in my cup, because Crio is the only food I’ve ever found that actually has enough magnesium in it to make a difference. So I’m drinking my Crio. I’m laying in my bathtub of hot water with some magnesium in there getting all relaxed. I drain the tub. My muscles are all warm, and that’s the time I step in and I do my fascia. Oh, and we could throw in a boosted bath bomb.

 Erin Oakeson:I was just going to say that.

 Kristen Bowen:I like the ones with glitter. I’m a little bit of a five year old and I love the glitter ones. We could just have a little bit of sparkle on our skin while we’re over there working our fascia.

 Erin Oakeson:And the boosted bath bomb will give you [inaudible 00:26:42]

 Kristen Bowen:Oh my gosh, it does.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, so-

 Kristen Bowen:So it’s needed. It’s not just wanted.

 Erin Oakeson:It’s needed. Yeah, it’s needed. But if you’re not going to do a boosted bath bomb then definitely do some kind of oil-

 Kristen Bowen:Something to help the movement.

 Erin Oakeson:Or just something so you’re not getting stuck on the skin layer.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so number one nutrient’s magnesium.

 Erin Oakeson:Magnesium.

 Kristen Bowen:What else?

 Erin Oakeson:Number two, gelatin. You think that …

 Kristen Bowen:You are singing … I personally, in all the years I’ve been doing this, almost 20 now, have never found a single person who has not benefited from adding more gelatin to their life, and now you have taught me a deeper understanding why. Because the gelatin supports the fascia. Oh, let me ask you this. Fascia, so many women have bladder issues. Is fascia over the bladder?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. It is.

 Kristen Bowen:What happens during birth to the fascia and the bladder? Because so many women have a hard time with that. That’s got to be connected.

 Erin Oakeson:It is connected. Yes. The fascia, it’s like a muscle. Don’t take that the wrong way though. In this instant, as your belly grows-

 Kristen Bowen:The fascia.

 Erin Oakeson:The fascia has to compensate and make room for it.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, and then it doesn’t come back down to size, but if you’re on gelatin it will more so. Oh my gosh.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, and the one that helps with that too is number three, fish oil.

 Kristen Bowen:Cod liver oil.

 Erin Oakeson:Cod liver oil.

 Kristen Bowen:I’m such a cod liver girl.

 Erin Oakeson:And you think about it. That’s twofold if we’re talking about cellulite. It’s nourishing and tightening the skin on the outside as well as the fascia on the inside.

 Kristen Bowen:Do you want to know how I remember to take my cod liver oil?

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:Because you can see the difference of my skin.

 Erin Oakeson:Oh, yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:I love being a grandma, Erin. I love it. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t like having grandma skin, and cod liver oil, literally the connective tissue. It brings it together and you can see the difference on my face. I will look more tired if I’ve forgotten my cod liver for a couple days, and so I love cod liver oil and it supports fascia. Three, unless you’re allergic to fish, I think every person should be on cod liver. Now if you’re allergic to fish we got to be smart and not take it. You should be on cod liver, and gelatin is another one, and magnesium. The three things that I put people on the first and say, “Here. This is going to make the biggest difference for you,” you’re telling me are the three most important things for fascia.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh wow.

 Erin Oakeson:And it makes you wonder, are some of the issues that you’re clients dealing with fascial issues, and that’s why it’s all helping.

 Kristen Bowen:And I didn’t see it as a fascial issue. I have another question for you, Erin. I’m multitasking. I got my bath bomb. I got my Crio Bru. I’m in my bathtub with my magnesium. All the good stuff’s happening. I drain my tub and I’m ready to do my fascia work. Do I have to do my whole body of fascia? Can I target hit zones like … If you look from the back you can see maybe a little bit of wrinkled fascia. Can I work just those areas? Do I have to work everything? Will I do damage if I just do where I can see that there’s a fascia issue, or do I have to go everywhere?

 Erin Oakeson:It’s a good idea to go everywhere because it is connective tissue.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, it’s connected. Okay.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, so everything is connected, so if you see fascia dimpling in one area it could be-

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, it’s dimples.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, it’s just dimples.

 Kristen Bowen:I don’t look at them like cute though.

 Erin Oakeson:But it could be fascia in another area pulling that and dimpling that area, so it’s good to get everywhere. Spot working is totally fine.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so I’m not doing damage.

 Erin Oakeson:No.

 Kristen Bowen:So start to finish, if I’m going to lightly, a beginning experience with fascia, how long is that going to take me?

 Erin Oakeson:Not long. If you’re doing-

 Kristen Bowen:Five minutes? Twenty minutes? An hour?

 Erin Oakeson:It depends on what kind. Say you’re just doing your thighs. Five, ten minutes, perfect.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so how long would it take me to do a light whole body fascia routine?

 Erin Oakeson:Whole body? Thirty, maybe 45 minutes. Forty five would be pushing it. I would stay closer to 30.

 Kristen Bowen:To 30. Oh, Erin. I have another question. Every once in a while, it doesn’t happen to me very often. Every once in a while after I get a massage I feel a little achy and it’s always because I haven’t kept my water up. Will the same thing happen to people with fascia when they work on their fascia? If they’re not hydrated enough are they going to feel a little fluish afterwards?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, like a massage. Okay.

 Erin Oakeson:It’s just like a massage.

 Kristen Bowen:So it’s crucial. You don’t just jump in and just boom, I’m going to take care of my fascia. You have to have some things in place. You have to have your hydration. You say it because I say it so much.

 Erin Oakeson:Hydration number one, always. Magnesium.

 Kristen Bowen:Did you hear that? She just said it. Magnesium.

 Erin Oakeson:Magnesium, gelatin, and the cod liver oil. Having those in place. You don’t have to but you’re going to have a much better-

 Kristen Bowen:Experience.

 Erin Oakeson:Experience with them in place.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so would you do it everyday, Erin? Is this something like, “Okay, I’m doing my fascia,” and somebody’s really excited because maybe they’re like me and they have pain, and can I just say working my fascia has decreased my arthritis and I really feel like it’s increased my thyroid. It’s boosted my thyroid. I haven’t done anything else different and it’s better, and so is it something I need to do every single day? I rebound every single day for my lymph. It’s not for exercise. It is specifically for my lymph. Now do I have to add a fascia workout?

 Erin Oakeson:Not everyday. No. You can and there are lots of people who do it. I’m like you. I … Well, I don’t want to say I don’t have that kind of time, because I do, but there are other things that-

 Kristen Bowen:You choose where you put it.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah. I don’t want to choose to put-

 Kristen Bowen:I love that. You walked out of time poverty.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:You did. I love that because it’s so easy for all of us to walk in and say, “I don’t …” I don’t even want to say it, but you didn’t. You walked back out, and we all choose where we put our time. So once a week? Once a month? Once a year?

 Erin Oakeson:That will totally depend on your body and where you’re at. It does reduce inflammation-

 Kristen Bowen:Which is crucial for healing.

 Erin Oakeson:Crucial, yes, so if you maybe have more inflammation that you need to work on than maybe a couple of times a week would be more beneficial than once a month, but as you work that down and get everything to a good place you wouldn’t need as much. It would be more for maintenance and, “Oh, I’ve got pain. Let’s work on that real quick.”

 Kristen Bowen:Right now I am having a little bit of an arthritis flare, and I’ve been working it three times a week for about 20 minutes. Not enough? Too much? What do you think?

 Erin Oakeson:It sounds like a good place to be at.

 Kristen Bowen:I feel better after. After I do it and I’m like, “Oh my goodness, my arthritis,” and then for me I can tell when I wake up in the morning what kind of pain day I’m going to have. If I’m really tight then that means it’s going to be a little bit increased during the day and it makes a difference in the mornings which for me makes a difference all day long. So you don’t feel like that’s too much for me then?

 Erin Oakeson:No.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay.

 Erin Oakeson:You could be doing it everyday.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay. I’ll try it and see what the difference. My goal is always to do the least input for maximum output, and so I’ll play with it and see. Like, “Okay, if I do it five days a week do I get a 30% increase?” And play with it and see. So it’s different for each person.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so if you had one thing you wanted to share with people about fascia that you just absolutely did not want them to forget, what would it be? I kind of put you on the spot.

 Erin Oakeson:That’s okay.

 Kristen Bowen:What would it be?

 Erin Oakeson:Just that it’s in everything. It’s not just around everything. It’s in everything, so just paying attention to it, keeping it hydrated, keeping your nutrients, that magnesium, cod liver oil, and gelatin up to keep the fascia nourished so that we have decreased pain. It is in your brain. Fascia is not just around your brain. It’s in your brain. Think of the mental clarity that you could get by working fascia.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, question. When I get dehydrated I get brain fog. That’s my fascia, isn’t it?

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:It’s like I’m having all these fascia moments with the deeper understanding of fascia. Oh, so question. Like I said, I’m a rebounder. I rebound every single day for my lymph. I feel better. It helps me manage my pain and keeps my energy up. Am I working my fascia when I rebound? I guess I’m still a little confused. I’m rebounding and I know it’s moving my lymph. It’s supporting my fascia but not correcting my fascia, is that right?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes. The supporting, not correcting.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay, so tell me a little bit about the lymph and the relationship with the lymph and the fascia, because I still haven’t totally wrapped that.

 Erin Oakeson:As we were talking about before, like when you work out it releases lactic acid. That makes your muscles sore. Well, that acid is just in that extracellular matrix hanging out. As you work your lymph as you do the rebounder it gives it a pathway to get out of your body, so as you’re drinking more water, as you’re releasing those pockets of toxins, as you’re flattening out and straightening out your fascia you need a place for all of that stuff to go. Working your lymphatic system will help get all of that out of your body.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, so doing my rebounder along with my fascia is just like dovetailing.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, that’s a beautiful thing. That is a beautiful thing.

 Erin Oakeson:So they definitely support each other, and as you’re getting rid of stuff around the fascia it gives it the space to be smooth. Does that make sense?

 Kristen Bowen:Absolutely it does.

 Erin Oakeson:The rebounding, the lymphatic work-

 Kristen Bowen:I’m going to have a smooth backside. That’s my goal.

 Erin Oakeson:You really are, yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:So you can work those cellulite spots, because cellulite is puckered fascia and it needs to be smoothed out. Think about it. It’s like ironing. I hate ironing, but I’m totally into fascia so I could maybe get into ironing. I’m ironing out my fascia.

 Erin Oakeson:Yes, exactly.

 Kristen Bowen:I love that. Erin, I love you.

 Erin Oakeson:Oh, I love you too.

 Kristen Bowen:Thank you for being a part and for teaching me years ago about fascia and helping me and being patient with me as I slowly connected the dots to how crucial it is. So, one thing about fascia. Most important that you want everybody to remember as our closing note.

 Erin Oakeson:It’s in and around everything. It is connected to everything in your body.

 Kristen Bowen:Brain function?

 Erin Oakeson:Brain function.

 Kristen Bowen:Hormones?

 Erin Oakeson:Hormones, yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Sleep?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Pain?

 Erin Oakeson:Pain, yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:Disease?

 Erin Oakeson:Mm-hmm (affirmative). It’s everything.

 Kristen Bowen:Everything. Energy?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Oh, wow. Because a lot of women would just give anything to have more energy, so working their fascia.

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah, and this is not saying that this is the cure all. There’s never a cure all, but fascia does affect all of those things.

 Kristen Bowen:Everything, okay. So in the show notes we’re going to link to some of your favorite tools. Oh, I don’t think … Did we clarify, and I need it clarified in my head, the rolling is just supporting the fascia where the stationary back and forth is ironing the fascia. Is that right?

 Erin Oakeson:Yes.

 Kristen Bowen:Am I clear on that one? Okay.

 Erin Oakeson:Definitely.

 Kristen Bowen:So we’re going to link in the show notes to the pattern and flows of the fascia. The bands. Are they called “bands” did I hear you say?

 Erin Oakeson:Yeah.

 Kristen Bowen:Okay. Fascia bands.

 Erin Oakeson:Bands or sheaths. People will call them fascial sheaths.

 Kristen Bowen:Sheaths, okay. So we’re going to link to some images of that so people can have an image in their mind, and we’re also going to link to some rollers to support fascia and to some ironing boards. Not really but the stationary that you like. The one that I bought was too short and I couldn’t get … My fascia puckers are on the backside and it was so short it was really awkward to try to move it and so I ordered another one and it was long and it was just like oh, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and so we’ll link to those that we like the most.

 Erin Oakeson:Perfect.

 Kristen Bowen:So people, go take care of your fascia. It’s crucial. Thanks for joining us on Living the Good Life Naturally, and you want to keep your eyes peeled because we are going to do one on saunas because my friends, if you don’t have a sauna, you need one. I hope you’ve learned about fascia but remember, learning about fascia won’t do anything for your fascia. It’s when you go out and create action with your fascia that you’ll really start to live the good life naturally.

 

 

Show Notes:

Fascia Lines

Fascia Tools Small

Ironing Your Fascia

Gelatin

Cod Liver Oil

Magnesium

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