Some Assembly Required

Throughout the month of December, we have been giving our fitness studio a serious facelift. We replaced the office type flooring with light rubberized gym-flooring and painted the walls and ceiling. While we had everything out and about, it was a good opportunity to re-think the layout of the equipment which resulted in some rearranging of the larger machines.

And then there is the small stuff which – in a small studio – you don’t sweat but cherish. Unfortunately, over the years, we put some here and some there, and while it never became a mess, it started looking a little untidy.

So we bought two large shelf units which can hold 800 lbs. (!) each which came in two large and very heavy boxes. While I needed help getting them into the studio (they are over 100 lbs. each), once they were in place, I was in my element. I have always loved putting things together, and the words ‘Some Assembly Required’ hold more promise than threat for me.  So I rolled up my sleeves and went to work. After an hour one unit was put together, and now the studio is all shiny and organized.

I keep thinking about the satisfaction that I get from actually creating something with my hands. Something that I can hold and look at, point to (and brag about). Many people tell me the same thing; it must be part of human nature to have that desire to create things (even something as mundane as a shelf unit).

As my mind was meandering from gym flooring to shelf units to the workings of human nature, it struck me that it is our own mind that gives meaning to things. And after I floated a little while on the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I remembered that there is still a pile of ‘stuff’ outside of the studio which will need a home inside. Once that is done, I can get back to floating.

I wish everybody a very happy and healthy New Year 2013!

Shouldering Up

This week, my husband and I attended a fabulous presentation by Dr. Eric Oestmann on Rotator Cuff Disorders. While designed as continued education for physical therapist, it had plenty of information for our use as personal trainers.  We see shoulder problems more often than we like, and I myself am intimately acquainted with impingement syndrome, shoulder surgeries and a frozen shoulder.

Most interesting for me were the assessment modalities to determine range of motion of the two shoulder joints. Yes, indeed, two! Not just right and left but two per side. The one we always think of is the one of the arm called glenohumeral joint. The other one is a little more obscure, and we may not even think of it as a joint: it is called scapula-thoracic joint and is the movement of the shoulder blade against the rib cage. The movement of those joints can be assessed individually, and the result can give valuable information as to what needs to be stretched or strengthened.

What struck me during the presentation is how much overlap there is between physical therapy and personal training. For me, manual manipulation is off limits; won’t do it, it’s not in my scope of practice. At the same time, I can instruct people in the use of the foam roller with MELT thus empowering people to mobilize their connective tissue. And while I must not and cannot diagnose and treat a problem, it is within my scope of practice to identify muscular imbalances and address those.

As I listened to Dr. Oestmann who approached from the field of physical therapy, I realized how lucky I am to be a personal trainer. I only see people who actually WANT to exercise and don’t have to give a second thought to those who don’t. Physical therapists are also limited in time and often must be done after a given number of visits whether their patient is sufficiently better or not.

One take home assessment immediately became a challenge to the students in my MELT class the following day. It is called clock exercise and goes as follows: lie on your right side, right leg almost straight, left leg bent and left knee touching the floor. Put your left hand on a straight arm on the floor near the left knee.  Keep your left arm straight and your knee on the floor as you circle your arm around your head and to the backside of your body. The goal is to keep the hand in touch with the floor at all times. Repeat on the other side. This should indeed be possible, and it would be an indication of ideal shoulder range of motion.  We did this at the beginning of the class as an adjunct to the MELT assessment. After some serious MELTing, we checked the same assessment again and – voilà – it was improved for many participants. 

Thanksgiving Skydive

It’s the old question: “Why would anybody jump out of a perfectly good airplane?” Well, I have an answer now: “It is exhilarating!”

I came to this piece of wisdom yesterday, November 24, when, after several weather-related re-schedules, my day had come and I went up in an airplane, jumped out and landed a few minutes later. Mind you, it was a tandem jump. I was perfectly secured and strapped onto an experienced instructor and had nothing else to do but to enjoy the ride. But enjoy the ride I did.

When my assigned time came, I was first strapped into a tight harness over a jumpsuit (that’s where that word comes from), talked with the instructor for just a few basic instructions, and then into the airplane we loaded. The first time ever that I went into the backdoor of what looked like a cargo hold. We sat like sardines on the benches along the side with additional jumpers squeezed in the middle.

When it was time to prepare, Greg repeated the instructions and then attached my harness to his. Once I was secured, the backdoor opened again, and reality hit: that was my way out. At an altitude of 13,500 feet (that’s over 4,100 meters for the rest of us), the individual jumpers just left, and I was the first of the tandem jumpers. Before I even had time to wonder whether I was afraid or not, I was already out the door.

The sensation is difficult to describe. I did not even have the sense of falling. Rather shortly after the exit, I found myself in the proper position with arms and feet out as if face down. It must have been Greg’s doing because I would not have known how to get there. He got us into a spin at which time I was glad to have chosen a light lunch. Next thing I know, Jeff, the videographer, came flying toward us. Eventually, we locked hands and did a few circles. It must have been awfully cold up there but I didn’t notice any of it.

After about a minute (as I was told afterwards) of free-fall, Greg deployed the parachute, and all of a sudden it got very quiet. It’s amazing how these big chutes can be controlled in terms of speed and direction.

Landing was as easy as the rest of it because I only needed to do as I was told, and that is: “Keep your feet up until your butt has come to a complete stop.”

I now have memories of an amazing experience. I also got a certificate of the jump which I will keep with my ‘important’ papers. And I have a video which will give me a chance to relive the moment. And if you are interested to see it as well, here is the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu45MbMPLuw&feature=youtu.be

Turkey Alert

Thanksgiving is almost upon us. Even though I have lived in the US now for well over 20 years, I have not yet quite warmed up to it.

Befuddled is probably the best way to describe my reaction. I understand the tradition of family getting together. I also understand that, at its beginnings, having one day of the year where food is abundant must have felt nothing short of paradise. I realize that those poor pilgrims, sitting there with the Indians and sharing a meal, had no guarantee for another good meal for some time in the future.

That was then. And where are we today?

Sadly, I realize that there are people even here in the US who go hungry and who do not know where their next meal will come from. I also must say that I personally do not know a single person who fits that description. Quite the contrary; almost everybody I know keeps a keen eye on the bathroom scale in the effort to reduce or maintain.  

So why do look at the entire holiday season as a gigantic feeding trough as if we were still stuck in the days where you eat when you can, and as much as possible at that, just to have some reserves for the lean times that used to lie ahead?

I want to appeal to everybody reading this to give it just a little thought before sitting down for a huge meal. Take your time to enjoy every bite of it. Usually, even the best meal loses its initial appeal after the first few spoonfuls.

I wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving!

Taking a Stance: I Voted for Obama

One more time, I’ll use this blog for a non-fitness related subject to be on record with my political view.

I have many reasons but want to focus on the one part that is the closest to my heart, and that is healthcare.

I am from Germany and did not come to this country until 1989. During the first 5 years, I was an international assignee working for IBM, and thus I was in an environment where all my colleagues had healthcare and I did not give it any thought because, to me, that’s the way it is supposed to be. After I got married, decided to stay in the US for good, and changed careers to be in the fitness industry, I began to look around my new home in North Carolina. That’s when it started dawning on me that a significant percentage of Americans do not have healthcare coverage, that pre-existing conditions can be excluded from policies, and that preventive care does not seem to be a priority.

When the debate over healthcare raged, many arguments were made on either side, and I was dismayed to listen to people who used countries like Germany, France or the UK as a negative example. I have lived in a country with comprehensive healthcare, and I still have many friends there. I love the country I am living in right now. I became a citizen because this is my home. But the lack of health access equality to every other of my fellow citizens was always a source of pain to me. I cannot truly be happy about my own healthcare access knowing that others do not have the opportunity.

I was elated when legislation was passed towards achieving this goal, and I was grateful when it was upheld by the Supreme Court. If it was on this one issue alone, I could not vote for anybody who promises to repeal it.

Here I stand!

MELT away Stress

I am currently glued to my DVD player watching a series of 24 lectures by Robert Sapolsky Ph.D. about stress and its impact on the body. The ramifications are truly frightening; there is not a function in the body that is not negatively influenced by the mechanisms of stress. And what is even more notable is that most of the stress originates from thoughts and feelings that are far removed from the initial scenarios for which stress was designed.

The processes that happen when we are stressed are designed to get us ready for the proverbial ‘Flight or Fight’ response in matters of life and death. As a species, we are the only ones capable of conjuring up frightful scenarios to which we then promptly respond as if we were in actual physical danger.

And there are a lot of things that people get stressed about: the weather, the traffic, the boss, the colleagues, the favorite teach losing, global warming, people disputing global warming. Right now we have enough people stressed about the outcome of the presidential elections on either end of the political spectrum.

What has all of this to do with MELT?

One thing I love when I teach a MELT class is the complete silence at the end of the class. After an hour of MELTing, the participants seem entirely removed from all the worries of the world. The inward focus of MELT quiets the stress response, and the change is palpable in the room. Being able to break the stress cycle is important because it enables the body to return to the repair mode that comes along with improved sleep.

MELT is not a cure-all, particularly if people insist on getting stressed and prefer to keep their stress levels up. I have heard people talk quite proudly about their type A personality. We cannot protect people from themselves.  But MELT is a great modality to improve where we have control, and that are our thoughts and our frame of mind. 

No Place like Home

Even though I teach classes at a wellness center, I do not work out there myself. The main reason is that there are many members who know me and like to talk to me. I love to talk to people but it does not make for a very effective workout.

Instead, I work out at my own studio where I have my own equipment, and the only distraction is my dog.

But the other day, I got some guest passes to another fitness club in town, and today I decided to go there just to see how I would like it. It was a very familiar location; years ago, I trained clients there for a short period of time. It had changed hands numerous times since but in many ways was still very much what I remembered.

As I walked in and presented my guest pass, I was immediately sized up as a potential member, and before I knew it, a very friendly young lady came out of nowhere willing to show me around. I marveled at her attire with dress and heels which did not seem to point to a fitness club. But she was perfectly happy to leave me alone when I told her that I really just wanted to work out.

As I meandered through the club, I made a mental note of the improvements in the technology of weight training machines. Remarkable as they are, I never took a shine to them and instead decided to entertain myself with a cable tower which pretty much allowed me to do anything I wanted to do (and which I could just as well have done at my studio where I have this apparatus). Next I spotted some balls and Bosus, great favorites of mine. My plans came to nothing, though, because the balls were soft as marshmallows.  All the while I was there, music was playing, and it was not as much background as I would have liked it to be. Granted, my love for classical music makes me an outsider in fitness clubs. After having a really good time at the True Stretch, I left.

I realize how fortunate I am to have what I want right here in my basement, complete with dog and classical music playing in the background. Fitness clubs and wellness centers play an important role, and much good comes from them (as long as people use them).

But still….. for me, there is no place like home.