Building Bulletproof Backs Ep 3 - Swim into your next Chapter with Louisa Cruz

Send us a text

Welcome to the Third episode of Building Bulletproof Backs podcast.

This podcast aims to empower listeners with HOPE that healing is possible when you know how. We discuss strategic tools addressing mental, physical and emotional Health.

To Build your own Bulletproof Back go Here
To  Support this show  - buy me a Coffee !  

I am your host, Marion McRae, a physiotherapist & movement addict on a mission to see the existing model of treating back pain evolve. The current model is broken. It focusses almost entirely on the physical body, neglecting the fact that we are all both thinkers and feelers. When the thoughts in our head, and the the emotions in our bodies are less than optimal, we fail to thrive. 

Our Guest for this episode is Louisa Cruz. An inspiring young mother of two, ex yoga teacher and now endurance ocean swimmer who has kindly agreed to share her back pain story and winning outcome. 

We discuss 

Louisa’s tools:

1. Multiple Mental Strategies, a Mindset she attributes to YOGA
2. Movement - Pilates and Swimming

Louisa’s Top 3 tips

1. Mental - See the Pain as an opportunity to Learn and Grow. Do not Label it. 
2. Do not be discouraged by extended healing time frames.  
3. Trust you will come out the other side and it may look different, but better. 

Time stamp :

Louisa Shares her back pain story [2.48] including balancing motherhood with a yoga practice. The realisation that a spine pre-birth is different to a spine post-birth [4.01] Flexibility was more dominant than strength. Lack of sleep was also part of the equation. 
Louisa pushed through symptoms for approx 6 wks [6.04] before the body said "NO". 
We discuss the yoga approach to Pain [6.46] and whether it is useful, unified, and open to interpretation. Is it joint opening? or Damaging. 
Louisa Shares her lack of hope about returning to yoga [8.18] as a teacher and how she faced the loss of control of hers own destiny. 
[10.20] Grief as Louisa realises yoga was not the way of her future. 
[10.56] The benefits of Pilates for subtle strengthening, leads to swimming. Initially for pain relief and soon to become a new addiction. 
[13.19] 20 kms of swimming, over 6 + hours is a testament of a bulletproof back. 
[13.48] The mindset to heal was in place before Louisa's injury and attributed to yoga. Including the idea that everything is transient. Nothing is permanent. 
[15.15] The power of 3 - mental, physical and emotional strategies seem to be required to shake off a stubborn back story, yet can you learn them ? A wholistic approach is required. [16,46] Expectations for healing time frames can be non useful. 
 [18.58] Louisa Shares her top 3 tips for healing back pain. 
[21.27] The hormonal affects of pregnancy on backs and injury risk. The importance of prioritising your health as a mother.
[23.40] Modelling Healing to our Children. 
[25.33] Accepting persistent Pain can be hard-wired into the Brain long after the original tissue damage. 
[27.20] Louisa shares her idea of a Bulletproof Back. 

If you resonated with any of today's conversations and think perhaps you may li

Support the show

Holistic Back Pain Rehabilitation includes tools for your mind, your heart and your body.

👉 Explore more at www.bulletproofbacks.com
— courses, coaching & practitioner training.

Get engaged in the conversation
Email [email protected]