Rapid Release Technology

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Not that one. That one is even better. I purchased a vibration device at the IDEA World Fitness Conference. It is called RRT PRO 1. It works on a very specific frequency and target scar tissue adhesions.

I have owned it now for about 8 months and have used it on myself and as part of my personal training and MELT sessions.

I want to give a testimonial from personal experience. As a fully trained MELT instructor, I am used to deal with aches and pains in a very efficient way. But I ended up with the proverbial ‘pain in the neck’, and it was not budging.  Both my chiropractor and Rolfer had a go at it; it would improve some, and then go back to its painful self. Icepacks were in daily use.

I was wandering around the expo hall at the IDEA Conference when one of the exhibitors asked me whether I wanted to try it. The moment that machine touched that spot in my neck, it just simply felt great, and within a few minutes the pain was greatly reduced. (It had been made worse by the flight from Raleigh to LA.) I felt better for the rest of the day, and went back to the booth because I knew that I wanted to take that machine home with me. I used the device regularly for the next few weeks, and the pain in the neck was gone.

I have viewed this acquisition as one of the best purchases of my life, and that is not an exaggeration. In my training, I strive to help people with muscular imbalances that lead to postural problems and pain. But those exercises cannot address scar tissue adhesions which are often part of the problem. This gives me another tool with which I can help.

What is a Corrective Exercise Specialist?

My view of myself has morphed over the years from “Personal Trainer and MELT Instructor” to “Corrective Exercise Specialist”, and it’s time to describe what I mean by that.

As a personal trainer, I cannot diagnose any medical condition. However, what I can do is identify muscular imbalances to the best of my abilities. Theoretically, there can be as many imbalances as there are people but, in practice, there are certain misalignments which can been seen over and over. The normal lifestyle for many people includes sitting for long hours, often in front of a computer or in a car. Over time, this can create a posture with the head jotting forward, the shoulders being rounded, the pelvis misaligned, and the knees moving inward while the feet are pointing outward. Calves and hamstrings are tight while the hip muscles are often weak.

Ultimately, every person has a unique combination of those issues. When somebody approaches me for personal training, it is simply imperative to me to address those deviations first. To load a body with one or more of those problems would be like loading a car for a road trip that is neither balanced nor aligned.

For most imbalances, there are exercises, comprised of stretching and strengthening, to improve or even neutralize them. Since most people come with a combination of imbalances, the challenge is to find the right path of exercises. It also includes education so that the client understands what habits have led to the current issues. At this point, it’s as much an art as a science. There is the personality of the client that must be considered; existing limitations (for example arthritis in the hands or even MS) that require modifications; the life circumstances of the client which may put constraints on time.

For the exercises, I can draw on an entire arsenal. I have studied the corrective exercise approaches from NASM and from The BioMechanics Method, developed by Justin Price. I have extensive knowledge of Sue Hitzmann’s MELT Method, a self-treatment technique for connective tissue. I recently took the course ‘Core Barre’ with Monica Hoekstra who has developed the Systems of Smart Movements® which is yet another approach to corrective exercise. Both MELT and Core Barre can even been taught to groups. Core Barre in particular combines the effectiveness of corrective exercises with a certain elegance of movement which makes people feel good about themselves.

Corrective exercises themselves are too many to name but they all include the muscles of the shoulder girdle, hips and lower back and what is commonly called “the core”. I have found over and over that, once the stabilizing structures have improved, many aches and pains lessen or disappear.

Passing the Barre

Given my love for ballet, it was only one logical step for me to look at a Barre certification course. And just at I had decided to look into it further, an opportunity for the very thing presented itself in Raleigh J. The stars were lining up.

The course provider is Core Barre™, and its creator is Monica Hoekstra.  Given my over 20 years in the fitness industry and a fair amount of education, I am a rather critical consumer and not easily persuaded. The content and presentation of Monica’s course, though, meets my full approval, and I enjoy it very much. Her approach to what she calls ‘Smart Movement’ is fully in line with my training of MELT, The BioMechanics Method and the other corrective exercise modalities that I employ.  I am a hawk on good posture myself, and her entire Core Barre™ system is geared towards improving posture through the strengthening of the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder girdle, hip and core.

The course has elements of ballet without being a ballet class. Her suggested syllabus includes an intelligent warm-up, a segment on the barre, and floor exercises which are mainly inspired by Pilates.

Once I have ‘incorporated’ those exercises into my own body, I intend to augment them with MELT Length and Strength techniques. This format will be one only taught at my studio to a small number of participants, so be on the lookout for an announcement some time soon.

Hypertension – Make a DASH for It

Hypertension is one of the common precursors to heart disease and stroke, and millions of dollars are spent on medication to control it.

Yet in many cases hypertension can be lowered as successfully as with medication through the DASH diet. Dash stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet has more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy and less sweets, saturated fat and cholesterol than the typical American diet. Studies have demonstrated its effectiveness over and over again. If people also cut sodium, then the DASH diet is even superior to medication! (Source: Nutrition Action Healthletter March 2015)

So what are you waiting for? Make a DASH for it. Here is a link to more information http://dashdiet.org/.

Functional Fitness – Shoveling Snow

By North Carolina standards, we had a lot of snow and ice during the last 2 weeks. Since snow is not necessarily an annual occurrence in this neck of the woods, the activity of snow shoveling is not often practiced.

The terms ‘functional fitness’ and ‘functional training’ have been thrown around a lot over the last decade, and quite rightly so. Sitting on a machine and pushing or pulling a weight stack in the only direction the machine allows can build strength in that one movement pattern, but rarely translates into the real world.

You know that you have trained yourself ‘functionally’ when, after two hours of shoveling snow, you are ready for nap and a little sore over all, but do not have aching shoulders or a painful lower back.

And, if I were you, I’d hop onto my foam roller and MELT away.

Your Heart – Your Valentine

Today is Valentine’s Day, hearts are aflutter and the card, restaurant, florist and chocolate industry has one of the most important days of the year.

February is also Heart Month as featured by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Here is an excerpt from their website with many good recommendations to keep your heart healthy so that the heartbeat only rises for the right reasons J.

“Make Blood Pressure Control Your Goal

This American Heart Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Million Hearts®–a national effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the United States by 2017–are encouraging Americans to know their blood pressure, and if it's high, to make control their goal.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. In fact, more than 67 million Americans have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with normal blood pressure.

High blood pressure often shows no signs or symptoms, which is why having your blood pressure checked regularly is important. It's easy to get your blood pressure checked. You can get screened at your doctor's office and drugstores or even check it yourself at home, using a home blood pressure monitor.

Make Control Your Goal

If you know you have high blood pressure, take these steps to help get it under control:

Ask your doctor what your blood pressure should be. Set a goal to lower your pressure with your doctor and talk about how you can reach your goal. Work with your health care team to make sure you meet that goal. Track your blood pressure over time. One way to do that is with this free wallet card from Million Hearts®.

Take your blood pressure medicine as directed. Set a timer on your phone to remember to take your medicine at the same time each day. If you are having trouble taking your medicines on time or paying for your medicines, or if you are having side effects, ask your doctor for help.

Quit smoking—and if you don't smoke, don't start. You can find tips and resources at CDC's Smoking and Tobacco website.

Reduce sodium intake. Most Americans consume too much sodium, which can raise blood pressure. Read about ways to reduce your sodium and visit the Million Hearts® Healthy Eating & Lifestyle Resource Center for heart-healthy, lower-sodium recipes, meal plans, and helpful articles.”

Check out more information

Here is a direct link to the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/ where you can find out more information about high blood pressure.

Suddenly Sixty

How did that happen?

A few more days, and I will be celebrating (?) my 60^th birthday. I rather think of it as the 2^nd anniversary of my 30^th, but that is really cosmetic.

It is certainly time to be grateful. Grateful that I have not been afflicted with one of those diseases that come out of nowhere and profoundly change a person’s life. Grateful for all those years during which I could learn that 90% of all worries never materialize; so I am now making better use of my time. Grateful for the happenstance of my skin color and ethnicity which works like an automatic door opener where others have to push.

Grateful that I changed my career 20 years ago and got into the wellness industry. Without it, I may now be a manager at IBM (well, maybe not), spending hours at my desk, making forecasts of supreme irrelevance to anybody’s well-being, and collecting frequent flyer miles. I would also look at retirement (if it had not already happened) and would be wondering what to do with the rest of my life.

None of those worries for me. Even though I realize that I am quite unemployable as a 60 year old woman (urgh! that sounds awful), I am and will be my own boss. I am in an industry where experience actually counts, and that includes life experience. Being 60 is not a mark against me but a batch of honor.

Happy Birthday to me J