In-Tension - Move Better, Feel Great

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In-Tension - Move Better, Feel Great

Cara Leyten. Corrective Movement Specialist for pain and posture. Chronic Pain • Ageing Bodies • Athletes

In my late teens I experienced a life changing BMX crash; what seemed at the time like a short-term hindrance to my sport, ended up being the chronic back injury I would battle for years. Never did I expect to get to my late twenties and be hospitalised twice for reinjury, be on bed rest for months at a time, rely on a walking frame just to get me to the bathroom, or to have my parents dressing me. I completed all standard pathways for rehabilitation with no long-term success, but I was not willing to accept that this would be my life. I felt there must be another solution and I was determined to find it. This led me to complete a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise (major in Exercise Prescription and Training), become a Senior Sports Therapist at Xalt Sport Performance Centre, and attain a Master’s in Health Science with Distinction. Through this journey I discovered a great passion for correcting muscle imbalances; helping to improve a body’s alignment and movement patterns. Not only was it making an impact on my back pain, but it was proving to be life changing for many of my clients. The most common question I have received from others, is one that I first asked myself when I learnt of this topic: “Why has no one else taught me this before?”

I decided to build my own business that specialises in this area, using both evidence-based practice and real-life case studies to educate as many people as I can. It is my mission to help people become passionate about the way their body moves; to move right, so that you can feel your best, for life.

11/12/2025

Final days of my Christmas Giveaway 🎄🎁💃
Win a $300 posture & release bundle:

Foam roller, posture half round rollers, peanut ball/roller, acupressure ball, Tui Balms kit (warming balm, cooling balm, and foot balm), foot roller, firm resistance band, skipping rope... the works!
+ Tips on how to get the most out of all the tools 😎

That's CHRISTMAS for you and your friends/fam SORTED ✅️

HOW TO ENTER:

Sign up to any of my online programmes (gain 1 entry per programme) by 6PM Monday 15 Dec.
Winner will be sent their prize in time for Christmas 🙌

(Giveaway open to NZ only)

Comment FREEDOM to start feeling better and go in the draw.
Or head to the link in my bio

P.S. if you start a programme now you WILL feel better by the New Year! 😍

25/11/2025

Get your posture sorted by Christmas ⬇️

1. Open your chest (30s is all it takes!)

2. Move your spine (in all directions)

3. Walk (any duration)

4. Quick check ins: 3 second realignment drill (comment REALIGN for my free tutorial)

Screenshot the vid for a break down of each of the above.

BONUS #5
Join my online Posture Program for the full guide to good posture and a happy body for life. Comment POSTURE and I'll send you the link

19/10/2025

Why you'll WANT to be doing this! ↓
For posture, pain, hypermobility, sport performance, everything.

Its so simple and looks easy... but it isn't. And if it is... your bands are too light, you're not standing far enough away, or you're not bracing properly!).

1. Your whole backline and your deep core have to work hard to stop the band pulling you forward. This means its targeting your key postural muscles.

2. Apart from the marching, the exercise is isometric. Meaning your muscles are working without changing length or changing your position. This builds ENDURANCE.

3. Excellent for joints. The isometric hold forces all tissue to stabilise your joints properly, without having to move through any painful ranges of motion (except for the lifting leg). So joint pain when moving? Joint restrictions? Hypermobility? DO THIS!!

4. All of the above, plus the single legged balance and coordination components means that you're also getting neural retraining (not just physical). This helps neural pathways to fire better, improving how well your brain and body communicate (which is very important for chronic pain and confidence building!).

Note: this can be done seated if standing hurts/ isn't possible

16/10/2025

The truth is, to rebalance your body, you have to train in imbalance. That means deliberately putting your body into offsetted and asymmetrical positions and movements so it learns to stabilise, adapt, and realign.

You want to train with movements and positions that highlight your imbalances, then build on the confidence and capability to work against them.

Over time, your body learns to self-correct, rebuild confidence, and balance itself.

13/10/2025

... and? Not everything has to look functional to BE functional.

'Functional' movements are those that tend to mimic daily activities, hobbies, sports, work demands etc. They carry over to the real world in an obvious kinda way. They are very important.

But those weird, funky looking movements?
🌟 Neuro-GOLD 🌟
They improve coordination, motor control, proprioception, sensory processing etc.
Extremely beneficial for the real world!

For chronic pain, this type of training is INVALUABLE. These movements promote sensory distraction from pain signals, improve neural communication with your muscles, and help restore confidence and safety in movement.

"But all exercises train the nervous system" ... Yes, but the nervous system thrives off novelty and complexity. This is when it adapts BEST. It has to be kept on its toes 💃

So yah... very applicable when done right. The best part is you can get super creative with neural training and just have FUN.

If this kinda info is helpful to you, save this post so that I know to educate more like this. And dont forget to save me to your favourites so you dont miss future posts 🤗

12/10/2025

I used to feel ashamed that I couldn’t get myself out of pain, even though I was helping others do it every day. I kept wondering, "why can’t I figure out what I need? This is my area of expertise". I could guide other people through their pain, but when it came to my own, nothing seemed to work.

What I eventually learned was that while movement and physical retraining can be enough for many people, it wasn’t enough for me. I needed to look deeper, to make changes in other parts of my life, too.

If you’re on your own healing journey, take a moment to look at all the areas of your life that might be affecting your wellbeing. Our bodies are complex, but when we start getting the simple things right, healing becomes so much more possible.

07/10/2025

Melts the body and soothes the soul, I swear 😍

And a reminder to prioritise recovery for yourself today, however that may be.
Examples:
- Shakti
- Breathing
- Meditation
- Hot cold therapy
- Mindful stretching
- Reading
- Chilling out to music
etc.

❤️🌟

Address

Website

http://www.intension.co.nz/, https://www.intension.co.nz/online-programmes/

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