July 2025 Newsletter

(Hint: It’s Not Just About Your Feet)

You’ve tried everything.
Icing. Stretching. Orthotics.
Maybe even cortisone injections.

And for a little while, your foot felt better.
But then… the pain came back.

That familiar sharp, stabbing heel pain — especially in the morning or after long periods on your feet — returns with a vengeance. And the cycle starts all over again.

If this sounds like your story, you’re not alone.
And more importantly — you’re not broken.

You’ve just been treated for the symptom, not the source.

When most people hear “plantar fasciitis,” they automatically think about the foot — because that’s where the pain is. So naturally, most treatment plans target the foot itself:

• Arch supports or orthotics
  
• Icing and rest
  
• Night splints
  
• Stretching the calves or plantar fascia
  
• Taping and massage
  

These things might provide temporary relief. But here’s the problem:

They rarely address why the plantar fascia was overloaded in the first place.

Until you fix that, the pain will keep coming back — or never fully go away.

The human body is a connected system. What happens at your hips or knees directly affects how your foot moves and absorbs force.

This is called the kinetic chain — a term used to describe how one joint affects the next in a coordinated sequence of movement.

Think about walking or running:

• Your glutes and hip rotators control your leg’s alignment
• Your knee stabilizes your stride
• Your foot and ankle absorb whatever the joints above send down

If your hips or knees aren’t doing their job properly, the plantar fascia ends up handling more load than it’s designed to — and over time, it breaks down.

Weak Glutes and Poor Hip Control
When the glute medius and hip rotators are weak, your leg tends to collapse inward (internal rotation). This causes excessive pronation — or flattening — of the arch. Your foot becomes unstable, and the plantar fascia stretches repeatedly with every step.

Tight Hip Flexors and Poor Pelvic Control
Tight hips throw off your stride and limit proper push-off mechanics, forcing the foot to overwork during gait. It’s like driving a car with misaligned tires — the wear and tear show up in the wrong place.

Poor Single-Leg Stability
If your body can’t balance and stabilize on one leg (which happens constantly when walking or running), you compensate by over-gripping the ground, leading to overuse of the plantar fascia.

Knee Instability or Misalignment
When the knee collapses inward (valgus), it causes a chain reaction: the arch collapses, the heel turns outward, and the fascia stretches excessively.

The result?
Heel pain that just won’t quit — no matter how many times you stretch your calves.

At Back In Motion, we see this mistake all the time:

Patients who’ve been through weeks of therapy — but nobody ever looked above the ankle.

If your treatment has only focused on your foot, you’ve only received part of the story.

This is why we use the Gray Method™, our signature full-body approach that detects the true cause of pain — not just where it hurts.

We don’t guess. We assess.

And more often than not, the root of your plantar fasciitis is in your hips, knees, or overall movement pattern — not just the bottom of your foot.

This is where a performance-based approach to rehab makes all the difference.

We use principles of sports physical therapy to restore your body’s natural movement from the top down. That means assessing how your hips, knees, and feet are moving together, not in isolation.

A proper rehab plan should include:

• Gait and movement analysis
• Hip and core strength training
• Dynamic balance and single-leg stability work
• Manual therapy to restore joint motion and tissue mobility
• Progressive loading of the plantar fascia — safely and strategically

This approach doesn’t just give you relief — it helps you move better long-term so the pain doesn’t come back.

Here’s what you can expect when you work with our team:

1. Movement Assessment
We evaluate your entire lower body — not just your foot. How does your hip rotate? Does your knee collapse inward? Do you overpronate when you walk or run?

2. Customized Strength & Mobility Plan
We target the specific imbalances causing your foot to overwork — often starting at the hip and pelvis, not the foot itself.

3. Manual Therapy
Our hands-on treatments reduce pain, restore tissue mobility, and improve how your joints move so your foot isn’t doing all the work.

4. Foot Mechanics & Gait Retraining
We teach you how to walk and move in a way that reduces strain on your plantar fascia.

5. Return-to-Activity Programming
Whether you’re a runner, hiker, golfer, or weekend warrior — we help you get back to what you love, pain-free and stronger than before.

This full-body approach helps:

• Adults who want to stay active without recurring foot pain
• Runners or athletes who’ve been sidelined
• Women 50+ who are tired of waking up with heel pain
• Anyone who’s been told they “just need better shoes”
• Patients who’ve tried traditional PT, orthotics, or injections — without success

If you’ve had plantar fasciitis treatment before and no one ever looked at your hip, knee, or how you walk — then the job wasn’t finished.

Plantar fasciitis is frustrating. But when you understand that the problem is often higher up the chain — not just in the foot — you unlock real, lasting relief.

At Back In Motion, we specialize in fixing the cause, not just the symptom.

If your pain keeps coming back, don’t wait until it becomes chronic.

Learn more about our plantar fasciitis treatment, or schedule a full-body movement evaluation with our team of experts to finally get answers — and a real plan that works.

Staff Spotlight – Meet Oliver Gray

Marinade Instructions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
2. Add chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours for deeper flavor).

Skewer & Grill:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
   
2. Thread marinated chicken and vegetables onto skewers, alternating for color.
   
3. Grill skewers for 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and lightly charred.

Serve With:

• Quinoa, cauliflower rice, or a leafy green salad
  
• A dollop of Greek yogurt mixed with lemon zest and herbs for dipping
  

Why It’s Great for You:

• High in lean protein
  
• Loaded with fiber and antioxidants
  
• Low in sugar and processed ingredients
  
• Easy to scale up for guests
  

If you’ve hit your 50s and feel like losing fat has become frustrating, confusing, or downright impossible — you’re not imagining it.

Your body does change with age. But that doesn’t mean fat loss is off the table.
It just means the rules are different — and it’s time to stop blaming willpower and start understanding physiology.

Here’s what’s really going on with fat loss after 50 — and what you can do about it.

After 50, both men and women experience a natural decline in sex hormones, which play a major role in how your body stores and burns fat.

For Women:

Estrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause. This causes fat to shift from the hips and thighs to the abdomen, increasing visceral fat — the type that wraps around internal organs and raises health risks.

Lower estrogen also impacts insulin sensitivity, making your body more prone to storing fat after meals, especially when eating refined carbohydrates.

For Men:

Testosterone starts to decline around age 40–50. This hormone helps preserve muscle mass and burn fat. As levels dip, men may notice more fat gain around the midsection and a drop in energy and strength.

After age 30, most adults lose about 3–8% of muscle mass per decade. That process speeds up after 50 unless actively countered through strength training.

Here’s why that matters:

• Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat
• Less muscle = a slower metabolism
• A slower metabolism means you can gain fat even if you’re eating the same amount
  

This is why the same diet or exercise routine that worked in your 30s doesn’t get the same results now. Your metabolic engine has changed — but it’s not broken.

The nervous system becomes less resilient to stress after 50. Combine that with modern life (work, caregiving, poor sleep), and many adults stay stuck in a chronic stress state — high cortisol, poor blood sugar regulation, and stalled fat loss.

Sleep also becomes more fragmented with age. And studies show that even one night of poor sleep can disrupt hunger hormones and lead to overeating the next day.

Fat loss after 50 isn’t just about what you do in the gym — it’s about how you recover.

Starving yourself doesn’t work. It usually backfires.

Restrictive diets can cause muscle breakdown, slow your metabolism even further, and disrupt your hormones — especially in women. What you need is a strategic approach that:

• Prioritizes protein to preserve and build muscle
• Includes fiber-rich carbs to support energy and digestion
• Uses nutrient timing to support blood sugar control
• Doesn’t leave you tired, moody, or craving sugar

Your body still wants to be lean and healthy — but it needs the right kind of fuel to get there.

If you’re still relying on long cardio sessions or high-intensity bootcamps to lose fat, you might be doing more harm than good.

At this stage of life, strength training is essential — not optional. It:

• Builds and preserves lean muscle
• Revs up metabolism
• Supports joint and bone health
• Improves insulin sensitivity
• Increases fat burning, even at rest

And you don’t need to lift like a bodybuilder. Smart, progressive training 2–4 times per week — with a focus on form, function, and consistency — is the secret.

The problem isn’t your age. It’s the one-size-fits-all plans that don’t work for your biology anymore.

At Back In Motion, we specialize in helping men and women 50+:

• Burn fat safely without injury
• Rebuild strength and energy
• Regain confidence in how they move, eat, and live

Our programs are built by medical and performance professionals who understand how to balance fat loss, hormonal health, and injury prevention.

Because looking better doesn’t matter if you feel broken in the process.

Fat loss after 50 is possible — but it’s not about working harder. It’s about working smarter with your biology, not against it.

Understand the physiology. Train with intention. Eat to fuel your body, not deprive it. And above all, stop falling for quick-fix plans that were never designed for you in the first place.

You still have time to feel stronger, leaner, and more alive than you have in years.

If you’re ready for a plan that works — and a team that gets it — we can help.

Click here to schedule a free consultation and discover how we help adults 50+ lose fat, gain strength, and feel in control again — safely and effectively.

Meet Dr. Fernanda Paulsen- Pelvic Health Therapist

We’ve got an exciting month ahead at Back In Motion! Mark your calendars and don’t miss your chance to learn, give back, and get rewarded:

Date: Wednesday, July 23rd

Topic: How to Improve Your Metabolism and Burn Fat After 50 — Even If You’ve Tried Everything Else

Whether you’re struggling with low energy, stubborn weight, or a slowing metabolism, this free workshop will help you take back control.

👉 Reserve your spot today!

Date: Saturday, July 19th

Topic: 3 Reasons Why Your Plantar Fasciitis Hasn’t Healed — and How to Fix It Naturally

If your heel pain keeps coming back, you need more than rest. Discover the root cause — and how to heal it for good.

👉 Limited seats — sign up now.

Date: Saturday, July 26th

Celebrate with us! We’re hosting a fun group workout to give back to our amazing clients and support a local cause.

Bring a friend, sweat a little, and help raise funds for [insert charity or cause].

👉 All fitness levels welcome. Let us know you’re coming!

Know someone who could use our help?

When you refer a friend this month, you’ll be entered to win a $200 gift card to Salon Spa & Aesthetics.

There’s no limit — the more you refer, the more chances you have to win!