Friday, April 26, 2019

How Posture Training Can Directly Improve Your Balance

I meet a lot of people who are concerned about their posture  What's fascinating is "Posture is a primitive reflex"; the primary primitive reflex needed to move through life.  Without a stable posture, we cannot move safely through life and movement suffers.

When it comes to balance, posture is directly involved.  If you're bent over looking at the floor, stooped down closer to the floor, constantly staring at the floor, you're going to end up on the floor.

There's hope!  Postural weakness can be changed, at any age.  Once a qualified trainer addresses visual problems, muscle deficiencies and inner ear dysfunction, posture will change.  Knowing where to look and how to carry yourself is the fist step to better balance.

ALERT**** Neuroscience proves that it's never too late to improve your posture and the way you move through life.  Your brain is hard-wired for survival and once your brain 'feels' safe, your posture, balance and movement will improve****

 Z-Health Practitioners are trained to identify the body systems rendered dysfunctional and activate them to be functional.   Training the vision, vestibular and proprioceptive systems has immediate results but it's up to you to do the drills to make the changes permanent.



Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Don't Think You Need Brain-based Balance Training?

I just finished a 4-week session of Brains and Balance Fall Prevention Training in the gated community of Springfield at Whitney Oaks in Rocklin, CA and there were some amazing improvements in this group, especially from the students who didn't think they needed "balance training".  

The biggest single improvement was a 79-year old woman who reached 10 inches further while touching her toes.  TEN INCHES.  On the first day, she was 3.5 inches from touching her toes.  In four short weeks, she reached 6.5 inches past her toes!  She also did 3 more chair stands in 30 seconds.

What is awesome about this lady is she scored well on the fitness tests and wasn't going to join  because, "it was her husband who needed the class, not me!"  Well apparently her brain needed the class and her body responded!  She was a great student and truly practiced her homework and her post-testing showed it!

The most improved overall of the class was a 75 year old woman who accidentally joined the group.  Looking for the High Intensity Aerobics class, she stayed when I showed her how to fix the nagging nerve pain in her shoulder.    There are no coincidences.

A stroke survivor, this woman increased her lower body strength by 6 stand ups in 30 seconds,  increased her lower body flexibility by 4.5 inches and got up and walked around a cone 2 full seconds faster.  All in four weeks.  And to think she wasn't looking for balance training but ended up most improved in the class!  No coincidences.

The men in the class did equally as well.

Check out my next blog for the men of Springfield's improvement numbers!

This private, aging community gets the importance of staying active in order to be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them.   Unfortunately, most people think that lifting weights, doing yoga and burning calories in a high intensity aerobics class is the key to independence.

Here's my message to aging adults:  Everything you do begins in the brain.   Your balance, strength, flexibility, power, and agility all begin in the brain.  If you want to participate in gym activities and stay active, you might want to try training the sensory systems that your brain relies on in order to move through life.

The better the input, the better the output.  Period.

I am so grateful for the open-mindedness of the eight individuals who invested in my four-week brain-based fall prevention training classes.

Great work, team.

Balance Training Today vs When You Were a Kid

I was working with my "Boomer Power Hour" group the other day and told them it was time for some vestibular training.  The vestibular system is the inner ear balance system where the equilibrium lives and should be required in every senior fitness training class that says it trains balance.  Without proper activation of the vestibular system, balance suffers.

As he put down the resistance band, 85-year old Don asked, "What is vestibular training and where was it when I was growing up?".  I laughed too hard at this because it's true!

Don is a long-term client of mine who originally came to me with complaints of dizziness with head turns, a sensitive visual system and a fear of falling.  Throughout our training sessions, Don has learned about the vestibular system and how to activate the parts of his inner ear that need more activation.

Not a new concept in balance training, 'vestibular' training is common part of next level balance training programs and an essential foundation in brain-based training. Physical therapists are educated in the vestibular system but only work with it if there is a severe dysfunction.

A problem in the vestibular system directly affects balance because the inner ear receptors tell your brain which end is up and which direction you're going.  Without proper input signals, your brain doesn't know which signals are correct and the result is unsteady, dizzy, nauseous.   A dysfunction in the inner ear system will affect every other aspect of your life.

Similar to the other systems of the central nervous system, the vestibular system functions on a "use it or lose it" perspective.  If you don't train the inner ear balance system, you will lose it.     You can try to stand on one leg all day but if you're not training the inner ear balance system,  YOUR BALANCE WILL SUFFER.

The typical senior fitness instructor is not trained in the vestibular system.  As a Z-Health Practitioner, I am trained in the neuro-anatomy and physiology of the vestibular system.  Z-Health Performance trains the top 1% of fitness professionals and I am proud of the education I've invested in and the services I offer older adults.

The vestibular system was discovered decades ago but it's only now with advancements in functional neurology that we are learning more about how to train the canals and otoliths for better performance in daily life.

IF you've been going to the same fitness class and your balance isn't getting better or your neurologist says there's nothing they can do about your dizziness, find a Z-Health Practitioner and learn what YOUR inner ear balance system needs to correct itself.

The Fall Prevention Lady:  I offer private sessions and small group brain-based training classes.  Please contact me for more information:  info@thefallpreventionlady.com

Monday, April 22, 2019

Arthritis and Balance Training

Whenever I ask my group classes, "Who has arthritis?" the common response is laughter and the retort, "Who doesn't?".  Yes it's true as we age, our joints undergo more wear and tear and the likelihood of developing osteo-arthritis increases.  Osteoarthritis results from 'overuse' of joints throughout life and as a result, joints become stiff and movement can be painful.

More and more scientific research articles are showing the direct link between diet, inflammation and arthritis.  Study after study shows that if a person eats the so-called 'heart-healthy' fats, polyunstaturated fatty acids to be exact, inflammation increases and cases of arthritis and diabetes increases.

To reduce likelihood of arthritis or manage symptoms, a person needs to eliminate PUFAs (cheap vegetable oils like canola, safflower and corn oil) from the diet and eat more saturated fats such as coconut oil.    I'm not a nutritionist but I am brain practitioner.  I study what's needed for a healthy metabolism and optimal energy production.

Because this blog is about arthritis, I wanted to first address what you're putting in your mouth.  Don't eat nuts, nut butters and nut oils.  Stay away from polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFA, as they increase inflammation and pain.  Here's a link to one scientific article explaining the ramifications of eating polyunsaturated fatty acids:  LINK TO PUFA DANGERS

In addition to eating healthy,  it's important that a person with arthritis start moving those joints.   The Arthritis Foundation states the best line of action is to strengthen the muscles that surround and support each joint for less painful movement.

As a Z-Health Brain Practitioner, I believe that movement is the remedy for most all complaints.  If you move better, you feel better.  When talking about joints (where bones meet), movement produces synovial fluid.  Synovial fluid is the "feel good juice" produced when joint move because it actually changes the biochemistry of the blood.

Without movement, cartilage and bones suck up all the synovial fluid.  The result is excruciating pain with movement.  For reduced pain, keep the joints moving to produce those feel good juices.

I'm not saying joint mobility will cure arthritis but moving those joints can increase synovial fluid and make movement less painful.  Consistent movement reduces pain but you have to move the joints enough to reap the benefits.

Please keep your joints moving.  Think circles, in both directions. Avoid PUFA at all costs and don't give up.  Movement is life and it's time to start living.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Senior Fitness Tests Used to Measure Balance in Brain-based Class

Balance is difficult to define because it's different for everyone.  And because balance means different things to different people, it's hard to establish a 'standardized' measurement for balance.  For these reasons, I use the only standardized testing for seniors; Rickli and Jones' Senior Fitness Tests, to measure different components of fitness associated with balance and falls.

For the past fifteen years (15 years), I have collected data on every student on the first and last days of class to provide objective data regarding their balance.  You may not 'feel' like you improved that much in such a short period of time but numbers don't lie.  I measure lower body strength, lower body flexibility and dynamic balance and agility; three components of fitness directly related to personal safety and independence.

The results are in from the two Brains and Balance Training classes at Sun River Church and I am excited about the progress made in four short weeks.  It was interesting to note that avid walkers increased significantly in lower body strength and flexibility but not so much in speed and agility.

The legally blind student was the most improved in his class and in the top 3 improved of 17 people.  He did 3 more chair stands in 30 seconds, reached 3.5 inches further toward his toes and walked 3 full seconds faster around a cone and back to his seat!  He's 83 years old!  And he has macular degeneration!  And he's a US Veteran!

A couple who walks over three miles every morning also showed significant improvement.  The husband was most improved by doing six more chair stands in 30 seconds and reaching 4 inches further toward toes.  His wife did equally as well, increasing lower body strength by 4 and reaching 2.5 inches further.  Both are now in the upper percentile ranks among people their age and gender.

The most improved of both groups was a caregiver in her mid-70s who had taken a bad fall the day before we started class.  Over four weeks, she not only increased her confidence but nearly doubled the number of chair stands, or lower body strength!  She reached 6.5 inches further and can touch her toes for the first time in her life.

I have to mention another couple who made significant improvements in all three areas of fitness however what was better than their numbers was the improved quality of life they felt they have gained from brain-based training.

She said the class was not only life changing but gave her life back!  Diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, she is no longer crawling through life scared of falling but now feels her feet in contact with the ground and knows how to control her body.  Her joy is radiant and all her friends are commenting on how much better she's moving and looking.

A lifelong athlete, he stands up better.  He's short-waisted, long legged and now he feels stable when standing up.  This is huge for a person who exercises daily and enjoys being active.

I absolutely love what I do; train the two things you don't want to lose as you get older; your brains and your balance.   Don't wait ten years for your trainer or doctor to tell you about exercises to activate your body so you can move, balance and see better.  Find a Z-Health trainer near you and change the way you move through life.


Monday, April 1, 2019

No such thing as coincidence

I just started a new class in a gated community for mature adults in Rocklin, California.  We were almost finished introductions when a lady walked in asking for the high intensity interval class.  I told her I didn't know about aerobics class but this was a Brains and Balance training class.  She quickly asked if she could watch and then decide if she wanted to join.

She and her husband are new to the area and the students, her neighbors, welcomed her.  Turns out she is a stoke survivor and is always somewhat concerned about her balance.  After introductions, we did a joint mobility warm-up, some vision drills and then some sensory balance activation drills.

Our newcomer had one main compliant; her right shoulder.  She couldn't raise it over her head, it pinched if she moved it certain ways.  As a nervous system specialist, I immediately thought a pinched nerve, the axillary nerve to be exact, and stopped the class to guide her through a nerve glide.

She hesitantly followed along and struggled with some of the step-by step instructions.  She struggled because she didn't know how to move her shoulder blade the way I was asking her.  We slowed down and I coached her through the movement.  Suddenly she smiled with the newfound, pain-free movement she could do with her arm.

At the end of the class she came to me and said she wasn't sure about joining until I 'fixed' her shoulder.  She had been struggling with nagging shoulder pain and limited range of motion since her stroke six years ago.   She was amazed and decided she wanted more!

There are no coincidences!