Age is no limitation

Where your abilities lie at your given stage of life can often be deceiving, and unfortunately dictated by societal expectations. This is always a downward spiral and one that you can correct today!!

One of the first things that must be done is to have a realization about where you are in life and that you are, by no means, done.  You still have the capacity to do so much with your life.  A lot of times we are dealt certain cards in life that we have to take, any sort of physical limitation, or limits brought on by the demands of your life.  Why add to the devastating mix when you can actually help those aspects by increasing your level of health?  Fitness is not just a young person’s game, or a completely able-bodied person’s game.  It is for everyone with a heartbeat!  Regardless of whatever stage of life you are in, whatever environment you happen to live in at this moment, or wherever it is that you come from, you can always increase your fitness.  Age is no limitation.  What that means is that age isn’t a limiting factor in getting where you want to with your fitness life.  Daresay, fitness is the perfect prescription for whatever time of life you’re in. 

For instance, it is well documented that once a person retires, there is often times an immediate question of self-worth that enters into a person’s thoughts.  Those questions lead to doubt and an identity crisis in people that haven’t planned for this next stage in their life.  What better way to prove your worth and your lasting existence than to exercise and actually make gains in your health instead of the expected deterioration of it? 

Another instance deals with two categories of people with similar lifestyle patterns.  The first are those parents that are empty nesters for the first time after their kids have gone on to college or whatever that has taken them out of the house.  The other group is the people that have been taking care of an elderly parent that eventually goes on to die leaving that care-giving son or daughter with only themselves to focus on now.  Both groups immediately have an enhanced awareness of their own physicality and more times than not it becomes self-deprecating.  They’re able to focus on all the ailments that they have put to the side for so long because of having to take care of someone else, and when this occurs, those ailments seem larger than life.   Sometimes they become larger than they actually are in perception and can then exacerbate that issue into something far worse.

It is in these circumstances that a life full of health and fitness regimens becomes paramount!  So, before you put yourself out to pasture, realize that you are absolutely not done!!! There is more to do, so let’s get moving…

Knee Pain (and Hips)

Today I would like to speak to those with knee pain.  I, myself, am in that category, and have had to do extensive and ongoing research into this area of the anatomy to get even the slightest grasp of what may be going on.  Now, there are many types of knee pain, as well as many causes of knee pain.  For this entry, I will be focusing primarily on knee pain that derives from torsion, or twisting, in the joint.

The pain associated with this abnormal movement could be in numerous areas of the knee, so it’s impossible to correlate exactly.  Instead of focusing on the exact symptoms, I’m going to jump straight to what I have found the cause to be… lack of hip mobility.  More specifically hip rotation, both internal and external, but primarily external. 

The knee is a hinge joint, similar to a door.  It just opens and closes and is not supposed to have a rotational component to it.  There are ligaments and tendons in place to help give support against abnormal movement in the joint, but many times we ask our knee to perform outside of its intended purpose. 

In exercise, I have found the truest assessment tool for a person’s overall mobility is the squat.  I can tell so many things about a person just by the way they perform the movement.  One area that is very telling is what pattern their knees follow.  More times than not, they are not healthy patterns, and the derivative of this is a tight hip joint.  There certainly could be other factors involved, but I firmly believe that focusing on the inability that their hip conveys will solve a huge chunk of the problem. 

So why is this?

Although there are many instances, I will use just one example of where the hip forces the knee into a compromised position, and it is one that you do all the time: sitting in a chair.  When you go to sit down, there is always a rotational component that occurs at the hip that is necessary for you to descend.  If there is tension in the hip joint that decreases that rotational capacity, the knee is called upon to take up the slack, and it is not designed to bear that burden.  Over time, repeated stress like this will create the same structural wear and tear as an acute injury on the ski slopes or a basketball court.

The distribution of movement responsibility is magical in the body, there is give and take and it will drive you mad trying to understand the entire balancing act.  However, certain roles are known, and those must be supported, or else other areas of the body will suffer.  Such is the case with knee pain as described here.  Take care of your hips and they will take care of your knees.

Movement, Blood Flow, and The Brain

The connection between increased movement and proper blood flow to the brain has to do with oxygen.  Oxygen is vital to brain function and healing, and blood carries oxygen to the brain.  Therefore, a healthy practice of lifestyle activities that encourage increased blood flow is going to produce a list of positive benefits, one big one in particular being brain function.

The most agreed upon method of increasing blood flow is exercise.  Now, this of course has different meanings for different people.  So, let’s just say that it can be any type of movement that causes you to breathe harder and increase your heart rate.  For some that may be an hour-long session in the gym, while for others it may be a walk around the block, and still others achieve it working in the garden.  Regardless of your activity, it is best that you remain cognizant of the fact that movement is good for you, in so many ways, but this one is really important!

Nutshell, the increase in blood flow is very evident in all areas of the body when you are able to have immediate feedback.  You can almost feel an increase in blood flow and its benefits after a good exercise or yoga session.  What is not so evident are the benefits that are taking place in the brain.  It’s a bit more difficult to feel good stuff happening so you’re just gonna have to accept the research that is out there on the subject and take my word for it.

So, if possible, maybe you can look at those stairs in a different light next time, knowing now that by taking them you are doing something good for your brain, even though your lungs may be screaming (pssst…they’re getting benefit too).

Quality is Job 1

In 1982, Ford Motor Company introduced the slogan “Quality is Job 1” in a marketing campaign to assure potential customers that the company’s focus was now on creating quality products over huge quantities, which in the previous years had allowed their customer satisfaction to decrease.

By focusing on quality, it means you are attending to the nature of something. The care an artist takes to bring a painting to life. The uniformity of an automobile engine to perform the way the mechanic intended. And the characteristics of movement that create safety, efficiency and strength through repetition. 

If one attends to quality, then the essence of betterment can be introduced in aspects that have that opportunity of improvement. When exercising, quality of movement creates a “better than before” opportunity. What other areas exist in your world where quality reigns supreme in creating the best outcome, yet isn’t always the main objective?

Overriding Your Taste Buds

Your body doesn’t care what you eat. Your taste preferences decide that, and you can control them. There are foods that are more productive for the body, some that aren’t, and some that are detrimental. Finding out what ratio of the first to the second category you can eat while avoiding the third is what will create health and happiness in regard to food consumption.

Read Your Way To Health

Properly executed, reading expands the mind, keeping cognition manipulated in a manner that leads to longevity. The act of holding a book removes the opportunity to do other activities requiring specific dexterity, such as mindlessly eating chips or cookies. The amount of time that could be spent reading compared to a normal evening’s session of television watching is unbelievable. Imagine if all the sit-down time spent watching tv after the hours of 7:00pm were spent reading or talking about what is being read. Knowledge, and I feel humanity as well, would increase immensely while the converse of bad health would decrease to a marvelous degree.

Health And The Workplace

The concept of having your workplace be a factor in improving your health is rarely the case, unless you are a gym owner.  For most, and I repeat MOST, their office is a place of never-ending stressors coming at them from all directions, both physically and mentally.  While I can’t directly look to influence EVERY source of stress one encounters on a daily basis, I can speak to a few areas that can be manipulated, ultimately for the better.  Some areas that can be improved upon are the postures that people have while performing their work responsibilities, as well as the sedentary nature often associated with desk jobs or drivers that are contrary to proper biomechanics.  Just these two issues alone contribute drastically to the health and well-being of the workforce not only in America but around the world… and there are so many more areas than just these.  However, all is not lost because my aim is to reverse that trend as much as I can.  To circle back to my original point of having your workplace actually be of benefit to you in regard to health, what I am saying is that by improving in just a few of these spelled out areas, you are affecting so many other areas of your life in a very good way.  Your job is where you spend the majority of your waking hours, so to have that time work in your favor as opposed to working against you would be something worth trying for sure.  If you have an employer or business owner, or even just a department head that cares about improving the productivity of their employees by improving the health of said employees, then please have them reach out to me.  

So, What Is Wellness, Anyway???

There literally are a myriad of definitions of what “Wellness” actually is, and they all probably hold a modicum of truth.  On that, let me get ahead of the nay-sayers by stating that my definition is no more valid than any other.  However, what I feel I have discovered is a more practical explanation with no underlying ulterior motive.  What could I mean by that?  Let’s say that a chiropractic doctor states that they are a Wellness Clinic.  That is all well and good and full of information that is very beneficial, but my bet is that their intention is to get you coming back again and again as a patient for chiropractic adjustments.  Likewise, when a hospital or, better yet, an insurance company claims they have a “wellness program”, chances are the funnel is towards some bit of pharmaceutical protocol, which can certainly lead to a laundry list of issues.  That, of course, leads seamlessly into actual pharmaceutical companies promoting “wellness”.  That literally is just cutting out the aforementioned middleman.

So, what’s my take on wellness, and how do I differ from anyone else’s opinions?  Simple… my prescription for you is education.  The basis of what I do follows the old Chinese philosophical adage of “teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”  You see, I feel it is more important for you to be able to fix yourself than for someone else to do it, if that’s at all possible.  It is much more empowering and longer-lasting, since the “fix” is personal to YOU, not a universal one that made it through a few hundred case studies and released to the world as a cure.  So, in terms of wellness, it is an ability of one’s self to lead a life that is healthy, both physically and mentally, and to engage in activities and behaviors that support that lifestyle, while providing for the individual’s day to day activities.  To shorten it up for you; I teach you, then you go do.  For that particular lesson, you have already learned it, you need nothing further from me, and I am ok with that.  This is contrary to the medicine you must be on for the rest of your life, or the appointments you have to keep going to and going to.  Learning how to treat yourself, but more importantly how to prevent yourself from encountering dis-ease in your body and mind, is true Wellness, and I feel strongly that is what should be aimed for.  Therefore, it is that which I will be glad to assist you in.

Best Way to Combat Anger

Negative emotions are a part of every person’s daily life. There’s really no way to avoid them. Topping the list, although there are certainly many more, are anger, fear and sadness. Many things in life can prompt these emotions, and they are a healthy response to certain circumstances that happen in life. No one is wrong by feeling these things.

Problems come up when we allow them to hang around for too long, and they manifest internally, taking hold of our physicality as well as our mentality. Worse even still is to respond to something while experiencing any of these emotions. Judgment is clouded and impaired, and very rarely is something done that isn’t regretted afterward.

So what to do? Well in any of these circumstances, when the negativity seems to be hanging around a little past its welcome, the greatest thing you can do is focus on something you are grateful for. It has to do with the rule of opposites, or antagonists, if you will. What I mean is that a positive and a negative can’t exist at the same time. So, if you force yourself to focus on something positive, something you have gratitude towards, then there is no way that the negative emotion can live. This may sound simple, and that’s good. It really is that simple to change your state of anger, hatred, sadness, or fear instantaneously. Don’t take my word for it though, find out for yourself tomorrow, or later today even, when you feel a little fire start to build up inside of you.

Finding Motivation, and keeping it

I am not a life coach, not a mastermind.

I deal with what I know YOU can do.  That may take some time to figure out, and will have to align with your unconscious personality, which is what you are left with after motivation from an external source dies down.  Only what is within YOUR realm of possibility is actually possible.

My aim is to develop a plan, a strategy for you to follow that is tangible, factual and has a determined result.  It doesn’t rely on a continual revving of an engine (motivation). 

Your unconscious personality is the filter that you look at everything through first.  After that comes your desired intentions.  Every so often, a light is so bright that it overpowers and overshadows the innate filter and grabs your attention and manipulates your behavior in such a way that you have great productivity, similar to nitrous boost in a car.  However, like that nitrous can, that light fades out, and you are left with what you originally started with.  Unfortunately, what often happens is that you aren’t brought back to exactly where you started from in terms of initiative or drive, but you actually are lessened in that category, similar to building up a tolerance.  When you come off of a high, you actually crash to a point lower than before you took the stimulant.  And it takes more time, or even more stimulant to bring you back up to normal.

I do believe that anyone can accomplish anything they want.  Those in the position to guide them need to realize that the blueprint of that person’s path to success, although aiming for the same end as others do, is completely unique and must take into consideration their unconscious personality. 

3 Components Necessary for an Exercise Program

This time of year brings many people to the gym.  And while some begin very successful workout programs and see great results, most people are done by mid-February.  Now, there are several reasons why one would abandon a program that without a doubt is good for you, and unfortunately injury is often times one of those culprits.  Injuries can be avoided and longevity of a fitness regimen can be achieved by following one simple, 3-step formula that every new exercise program should contain: Mechanics – Consistency – Intensity.

Breaking this down, we will start with Mechanics.  This implies that you must learn proper form, postures and techniques associated with any exercise you perform.  It should be critiqued if possible and corrected according to your abilities.  Seek out assistance with this very integral first step of the equation. 

Next is Consistency.  This simply means that once you have learned the correct postures, you then become consistent with them and form new habits in your patterns of movement.  For instance, once you learn the proper techniques of a squat (with no weight or resistance), drive that learning home by doing repetition after repetition for as long as it takes to become comfortable with it and you can do the movement naturally.  Only then do you move on to the next level… Intensity.

Intensity here can come in several different forms, such as adding resistance, performing a certain number in a set amount of time, minimizing rest between sets, etc.  There is really no wrong way to increase intensity as long as it follows the previous two points, and you are working within your limits intelligently. 

If these three components are instilled into a workout plan, then the opportunity for fitness success increases exponentially.

Good luck, and as always, I’m here to help.

WORKING OUT WITH AN INJURY

There is an unfortunate misconception that an injury to any area of the body immediately halts all progress in an exercise regimen.  Actually, that is the farthest from the truth. 

Let’s say that you have a knee injury and literally don’t need to do any resistance training or full weight bearing for about 4-6 weeks.  If we look at a big picture of what happens when the knee and its supporting cast (hip and ankle of the same leg) are immobilized, we can plainly see that we have about 75% of our body that is still able to be worked.  Now, for balance sake, it wouldn’t be prudent to work the other leg to its extreme and try to make amazing gains there during this time.  But it still can go through conditioning movements to maintain its capacity.  More importantly, this is a great time to work on mobility, otherwise known as joint capacity, for both legs (minus the injured knee joint).  Following this protocol, I’ve witnessed numerous people come out of an injury period with amazing mobility in their hips simply because that was all they were focused on in that region, not resistance training which tightened them up.

So that’s the lower body stuff.  The upper body is a completely different story.  This is a perfect time to plan a program and make great strides in performance, be it strength, flexibility, mobility, whatever you choose.  There simply is no reason to say that you’re done for with an injury because that’s just not true.  The same applies to injuries of other areas as well, which of course have their own specific protocols.  All this being said, it is best to check with a professional to make sure that you aren’t going to hinder your progress to the injured area while continuing in your program.  But if they’re any good at their job, they should have no problem pointing out the parameters in which you can work. 

FIT FOR LIFE

What does it mean to be FIT FOR LIFE? 

For one, it means that the aim of the fitness program is to give you the abilities to handle the tasks of your day-to-day schedule and the demands that you place on your body in your normal daily routines.  Whether it is strength, endurance or stamina, as well as balance and coordination, your fitness program should enhance each category according to your specific needs. 

Secondly, the exercises you do today and the exercises you do 20 or 30 years from now should be identical, only varying in degree.  This very simple domain measures the longevity of an exercise regimen.  Your ability to pick things up is something that you should never lose, therefore it is beneficial to learn how to do it properly.  Your ability to sit down and stand up without assistance is something you should never lose, therefore it is beneficial to learn how to do it properly and maintain that ability throughout your life.  The same applies to pulling or pushing objects in various planes of movement. 

Excel in the variety of movement, not just in one particular movement.  This is the key to fitness, which is a fundamental aspect of proper health. 

Opening Your Hips to Help Your Lower Back

I recently wrote about shifting your weight onto your heels throughout the day during different daily activities.  Well now I’d like to address the concept of opening your hip and the benefits that doing this also simple technique will benefit you in your day-to-day lives.

Most everything we do is in front of us and below our eye line. Because of this, we find ourselves ever so slightly and unconsciously leaning forward at the waist most of the time.  Let me explain…

You’re at the sink doing washing dishes, and of course you are standing up.  However, you are looking down the entire time and reaching forward.  Your hips are up against the counter and from your hips up you are at a slight angle.  The longer you are at the sink, the more your back will start to tighten up and hurt.  The physical action taking place echoes that of a wire tied to a newly planted tree so that it won’t tip over.  All the weight of the tree is sent to that stake in the ground.  Your lower back is that stake, and it’s getting tired.  Another analogy I use a lot is the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.  That base of the tower is screaming if you’d just stand up straight for five minutes I wouldn’t have to work so hard.  Your lower back is the base of the tower, and it’s screaming!

Well, you have to wash the dishes, or you have to cook dinner, or you have to sit at your desk and work on a computer.  Or mow the lawn.  Or assemble those parts at the factory you work at.  Or whatever it is that you do, more times than not, you are in a posture that is going to strain your back. 

Add to all this “normal” stuff we do, we then go to a gym only to pick up weights and build muscles of the back that are already taxed, so we become even more tight.

Never fear, there’s hope for us yet!

All you have to do is stand up and send your hips forward.  If you are familiar with the term “pinch a penny”, do it.  If you’re not, to really be certain that you are getting the most of this mobility technique, squeeze your butt muscles as you move your hips forward.  This will help the front hip muscles relax even further.

Now it may be uncomfortable to you, but trust me, it is helping, and that’s certainly an area where I can help further.

But do this move anytime you are fixed in one position for an extended period of time, and you will feel great relief.

What is Behavioral Coaching?

Well, it begins with what I like to call the “Can Do” principle – meaning all that is necessary to achieve ANYTHING is a willingness to do what is needed to get what you want.  This principle applies to everyone.

Let's say you have the ability to perform a particular task a certain way; you have the tools, you have the physicality, but perhaps you lack the mentality and the focus for what is ultimately required to have success in that area.  That’s where Behavioral Coaching comes in.

Take the following scenario, and for this example, I will use the area of fitness as the example.  However, any behavior can be put in its place and the model can be used exactly the same…

Remedy: I, as a coach, need you HERE, if only for a second.  That simple task is something that gets lost with people and often derails them.  The misinformation that increasing your level of fitness and health requires a huge time component is widespread.  It really doesn’t.  It simply requires ALL your focus for a short amount of time and the results will come, far greater than if you are only partially present in the moment and just going through the motions.  And to add to this point, I can easily state that the level of true fitness achieved through an average of 15 minutes of intense interval training far exceeds that of anyone whose exercise session exceeds 45 minutes.

The next layer of health resides when you actually allow your focus to be all consumed in the action you are instructed to do, as in a fitness regimen.  The mere essence of placing your attention on a task that is removed from the daily, monotonous and regimented “treadmill”, for lack of a better word, is in itself one of the healthiest things you can do.  Diverting your attention, a state break if you will, for even that short amount of time, can have a profound effect on your psychological health and allow a true perspective on things going on in your life to come in to view.  From there, decisions are made clearer, and that which was once stress-saturated, now has a glimmer of hope to it.  And all this is due to the fact that you took a well deserved, very structured time out of your daily grind.

Enjoy your new found successes using this template, and if you'd like further information, or if I can help in any other way, please reach out to me.

Mental Reset Button (part 2)

Welcome back!  So you’ve had your interest piqued and now you want to know more about this ancient Chinese secret.  I told you I would explain why the simple task of guided focus is so important in your life, so here it is.

As stated before, our lives are ridiculously hectic and full of stress-stimulating moments and responsibilities that take such a profoundly negative toll on our bodies.  And for what?  I mean are we really able to place such important value on everything that we do which could possibly justify the taxation on ourselves in the way it does?  If we really understood the damage we are doing to ourselves, it would be a no brainer.  There’s a reason the “outsider’s perspective” is so powerful and prevalent in society, but I’ll touch more on that topic at another time.

Our need to stop and smell the roses has never been more necessary, and the fact that stress is becoming more and more evident in this culture as the root of all dis-ease in the body supports the need for the rose detour. 

Some behaviorists call it a “state break” and a particular favorite social media guru of mine, Amy Jo Martin, calls it her “Ready, Set, Pause”.  I call it a “Mental Reset Button” because just like my MacBook when it freezes up a bit, I just turn it off and back on, and it is reset like new. 

You must find your outlet.  And I couldn’t be any more specific with the word “YOUR” because this happens only in your mind.  This isn’t a physical outlet like exercise or yoga, this happens between the ears.  The new catch phrase used quite often is “mindfulness”.  This seems to be a more universally accepted alternative for the words prayer, meditation, self-hypnosis, etc.  Whatever you choose to call it, the action is what is key. 

The purpose of this type of task is to gain control of your thoughts, if only for a few minutes, thus planting a seed or preparing your FOUNDATION, to build the healthy life that you deserve.  Once you begin to train this muscle it will become stronger.  And you will become stronger.  Not allowing your life to be dictated but to dictate your life the way you want.

Join me and let’s build that Reset Button that will allow you such an abundant life.

Mental Reset Button (part 1)

Far away from here in Shaolin Prayer Halls of China, a teacher would stand at the door of the hall and as the students entered he would assign them their daily focus point.  These vary day to day, and they ultimately had major purpose, usually medicinal, but were simplistic in nature.  Some examples would be a tiger’s paw, a sitting monkey, or the petal of a beautiful flower.  Their assignment would be to sit or stand and focus on that “object” for as long as they were there, even hours sometimes.  This was meditation at its finest.

Our lives are filled with that which defines the word “hectic”.  Our response, although ultimately achieving what is necessary, is not always healthy.  In fact, it usually is very un-healthy. 

What if I could assign you your focus point, had you lay down and attend only to that for, let’s say, 20 minutes?  Sounds fairly impossible given all that you’ve got going on right now, doesn’t it?  And that’s exactly why you MUST DO IT!!!

Tune in next time to see why this simple exercise is necessary.  For those that want to jump to the last chapter, or want me to read the proverbial book to you, please reach out for more information on getting started.

Fitness and Finances... A Love Story

That title pretty much grabs the attention in a dog’s head-tilt sort of way, doesn’t it?  Well let me explain, and this won’t take much time at all.

For those in the investment world, you work tirelessly to safeguard and build your clients’ portfolios.  They have made the money and have entrusted you with its protection for them to use upon to retirement, and to pass on to further generations.

Often times, we see retirees cross the threshold from work life to retirement and not be able to enjoy the fortune they have amassed.   They had grandiose plans of travelling with their spouse, or spending their days on the golf course, simply because they earned that right.   However they lack the ability due to failing health, that, if attended to a few years (decades) back, would have given them that very opportunity to live the life they longed for.

My hope, in the fitness world, is that as much consideration is taken in securing the health of an individual, as is the wealth of that individual.  Nothing drastic has to occur, just some simple fitness strategies to implement into their daily regimen.  Regardless of their age, starting a fitness program can yield amazing results.  This will set them up so much better for when they are dealing with the next chapter of their life, and hopefully years of enjoying life to the fullest will follow.

Time crunch solution...

Did you know…

2 Weeks of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions improves aerobic capacity as much as 6-8 weeks of endurance training?

Well it does. 

Further, research is plentiful showing the benefits HIIT has over low intense, steady state cardio (treadmill or elliptical for 30 min. at steady pace) in regard to fat burning. 

So the next time you’re planning to go the gym, ramp up the intensity a bit and combine your normal exercises into one mega super-set.  You’ll be saving time and increasing your overall fitness all at the same time!

Today Brings First and Second Chances

Stop punishing yourself for past mistakes, choices, failures, or whatever is lingering with you creating a layer of negative you have to look through to see anything good.  Today brings opportunities; whether it is reconciliation of past troubles or a new portal for enjoyment that can occupy some space in your head where certain negatives currently reside.  Filling your life with happiness and motivation and a desire to help others rarely leaves much space for worry or stress.