Sports Performance for Non-Athletes?

So here I am, a newly minted Sports Performance Professional. I have studied the excellent NASM material to enhance sports performance and am eager to apply my knowledge.

As I read and studied and thought about it, it struck me how applicable and modifiable those concepts are to every client. We all need to generate power in our lives at one point or other. The challenge in training is to stay on the right side of the line where the benefits of the exercises justify possible risks.

I had applied ‘controlled unstable’ environments throughout all my training. I saw it work, and now I see the underlying rationale why that is so. As with training for power, I try to apply the same concept.

My latest and dearest toys are sandbells which I have in ranges from 4 to 12 lbs. in 2 pound increments. Those are now happily flying across the studio. We slam, and we catch, and we bounce them off the Bosu. We work on grip strength by catching with one hand. Some of my clients are standing right in front of a massage table for a security blanket as they are catching a 4 lbs. sandbell. Others have the 10 lbs. one hurled towards them.

And the best part? It’s fun, it’s challenging, and it gives a great deal of satisfaction (after everybody has caught their breath including the trainer who gets thrown back to).

Staying Cool – Signs of Heat Exhaustion

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and we will soon experience the triple H days of summer: hazy, hot and humid.

While a little warm is good, too much of it can be deadly. Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke which claims lives every year.

Here is how you can recognize the warning signs of heat exhaustion (taken from the CDC website):

• Heavy sweating
• Weakness
• Cold, pale, and clammy skin
• Fast, weak pulse
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fainting

And this is what you should do immediately:

• Move to a cooler location.
• Lie down and loosen your clothing.
• Apply cool, wet cloths to as much of your body as possible.
• Sip water.
• If you have vomited and it continues, seek medical attention immediately.

If in doubt, call for emergency help.

AND NEVER LEAVE ANYBODY, PET, CHILD OR ADULT, IN A LOCKED CAN FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.

Facelift? Really?

I am Karin Singleton, and I am a MELT instructor; but I am also a skeptic.

 

I have taught MELT long enough to know that MELT can bring on physical changes in people. I can see it every time when I look over my room of regular students and do not observe those gross deviations that just jumped out at me when I first started teaching. I also hear from people all the time how much regular MELT has become part of their lives and has helped with nagging problems. 

 

But when I heard about an announcement about a 50 second facelift …. It was a “wait and see” for me.

 

I watched the show and tried it myself. Truth be told, I felt more of a difference than I saw one but there was a little more fullness around the cheeks.  I decided to teach it in a class today, and it received a warm reception and a confirmation of my own experience. 

 

Here is a link to more information and the two videos, the 50 second and the 5 minute facelifthttp://www.meltmethod.com/blog/more-about-50-second-face-0. You may need to copy and paste into your browser.

 

The underlying principle makes perfect sense. Gliding and shearing of connective tissue improves the cellular structure by rehydrating it. The locations of the mastoid process (that little bump behind the ear), the temporomandibular joint (after which the painful condition TMS is named) and the temples are locations often associated with stress. How often do we not rub them when we have a headache?

 

I think that this new MELT technique will serve two purposes: it does improve the appearance of the face, but - more importantly – it will help relieve stress in those facial muscles.

 

And that will be twice the reason for a happy smile.

What’s the Big Deal about Posture?

“Stand up straight”, “don’t slouch”! Words of wisdom from mothers across continents, and right they are.

Whether you come to my MELT classes or are working with me one-on-one, the most often used phrases are ‘neutral pelvis’, ‘shoulders relaxed’, ‘good form’ and derivatives thereof. So why is good posture so important even if I disregard the fact that it looks a lot better?

A body in ideal alignment is a balanced body. The relationship in length between muscles is optimal, and movement is effortless because all the players know their role. The central nervous system is like a conductor, and just as in an orchestra, everybody must be well-tuned and know the score to create a harmonious performance.

If a body is out of alignment, then some parts have to work harder and still don’t get it done right. The result is that some parts wear out sooner than others, and this can start a pain cycle that only perpetuates the problems and adds to them. Even though medical science has given us replacement parts and perfected the techniques to implant them, we would do a lot better looking after ourselves as well as if we were our own car.

Did you ever hear of anybody, who would change the tires on their car, not get them balanced but then take the car out on a 1,000 mile road trip with heavy cargo and a hanger? Me neither.

When I start my MELT classes, I describe the position of ideal alignment, and just about everybody raises their hand when asked whether they felt discrepancies. Soon into the class, those discrepancies diminish and sometimes disappear altogether, and my students walk out straighter and often in less pain than when they walked in. After having taught MELT for almost 5 years now, I see permanent improvements after just a few months with regular MELTing.

Aren’t you worth it?

Athletes in Tutus

I have always loved ballet. Even though I never danced myself, classical ballet is my favorite dance art form; the more tutu the better. Living now in Raleigh, North Carolina, we have been so fortunate to having the professional Carolina Ballet since 1997. I had season tickets all those years, looking forward to every single performance.

Even the greater my pleasure when I recently had an opportunity to introduce some of the dancers to MELT.

While watching the performances and the performers, it was always quite obvious to me that all that grace that I admire so much is the result of rigorous training, and I was conscious of the fact that injuries are the inevitable by-product of such training.

Over the last 5 years of teaching MELT, I have seen enough of its beneficial results on many bodies that I knew that its positive effects could be felt equally by a professional dancer as by weekend warrior or somebody recovering after a hip or knee replacement surgery.

So it was not surprising to me on some level to hear the same comments about some of the MELT length exercises that I am used to hear from my more conventional class participants. The sensation of length beyond ordinary stretching which can only be described as ‘hurting so good’.

What I absolutely had to admire, though, was the amazing ability of the dancers to take my verbal instructions and translate them into body movement. Those familiar with MELT know that the greatest impact is often made by the smallest changes in body position, and those require a great deal of body awareness. And while this is hardly unexpected, it is nonetheless astounding to watch.

What a NEAT idea!

Is it possible that a neat person is not a NEAT person? Absolutely.

So what on earth am I talking about? Here is what the National Institute on Health has to say:

“Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, performing yard work, undertaking agricultural tasks and fidgeting. Even trivial physical activities increase metabolic rate substantially and it is the cumulative impact of a multitude of exothermic actions that culminate in an individual's daily NEAT. It is, therefore, not surprising that NEAT explains a vast majority of an individual's non-resting energy needs. Epidemiological studies highlight the importance of culture in promoting and quashing NEAT. Agricultural and manual workers have high NEAT, whereas wealth and industrialization appear to decrease NEAT. Physiological studies demonstrate, intriguingly, that NEAT is modulated with changes in energy balance; NEAT increases with overfeeding and decreases with underfeeding. Thus, NEAT could be a critical component in how we maintain our body weight and/or develop obesity or lose weight. The mechanism that regulates NEAT is unknown. However, hypothalamic factors have been identified that specifically and directly increase NEAT in animals. By understanding how NEAT is regulated we may come to appreciate that spontaneous physical activity is not spontaneous at all but carefully programmed.”

So NEAT is all the moving we do when we are not formally exercising. Even for regular exercisers with 2 hours of exercise every day and 8 hours of sleep, that leaves 14 hours during which we can do nothing or a lot.

Based on information in an NASM publication, I developed a metabolic profile tracker that gives points per hour for activities. It gives -1 for sitting or lying down (except sleep; that gets a 0), 0 for standing, +1 for normal moving, +2 for a little strenuous activity such as housework or a light workout, +3 for strenuous activity such as intense gardening (riding lawnmower does not count) or a strenuous workout, and a +4 when you knock yourself out. It is very revealing to see the times when we hardly move at all. If you would like a copy of this form, please e-mail me at karinsingleton@nc.rr.com.

So now let’s all try to become a neat NEAT person!

Here Comes the Sun …. diddle, diddle

By all appearances, spring has finally sprung. Even though the winter in Raleigh, NC, can hardly be called severe when compared to some other parts of the nation but it seemed to go on longer that it ought to have.

After taking a nice long walk with my dog just in a T-shirt, I came home happy, thirsty …. and a little tanned. At this point in my life, a sun tan is no longer on my priority list and thus I felt that I needed to remind myself (and anybody who cares to read this) what the Skin Cancer Foundation has to say on the subject of the sun and the need for sunscreen:

“Use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher whenever you spend any time outdoors.

• This applies to all outdoor activities: athletics, shopping, picnicking, walking or jogging, gardening, even waiting for a bus.
• Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day. For extended outdoor activity, use a water-resistant broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
• Apply liberally and evenly to all exposed skin. The average adult in a bathing suit should use approximately one ounce of sunscreen per application. Not using enough will effectively reduce the product's SPF and the protection you get.
•  Be sure to cover often-missed spots: lips, ears, around eyes, neck, scalp if hair is thinning, hands, and feet.
• Reapply at least every 2 hours, more often if some of the product may have been removed while swimming, sweating, or towel-drying.
•  Choose a product that suits your skin and your activity. Sunscreens are available in lotion, gel, spray, cream, and stick forms. Some are labeled as water resistant, sweat proof, or especially for sports; as fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, or especially for sensitive skin or children.”