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.

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!

Conquer Hip and Knee Pain in Fall Prevention Class

Most improved student described how the four-week brain-based balance training classes taught her exercises to manage her hip and knee pain.

As a Z-health Practitioner, I teach people how to activate areas of the brain that inhibit pain.  In other words, I teach drills that turn off pain.  Based on laws of neurology, opposing joint drills help people manage pain.  

This 66 year old frequent faller explained how many times she had fallen and how worried she was about falling again.  While her goal was to become more steady when walking, she surprisingly learned exercises to take her out of pain.

She doesn't have hip or knee pain anymore.  She learned drills to increase her awareness of surroundings, how to react to imbalances and what to do if she is falling.   Mostly, she increased her lower body flexibility by nearly one foot!

While she was seven inches from touching her toes on day one, she can now reach six inches past her toes!  Her legs are significantly stronger as evidenced by standing up five more times in 30 seconds!  She moves more stable and with greater confidence as shown by her ability to get up and walk around a cone nearly two seconds faster!

Gain control of your body.  Gain confidence.  

Lose your fear of falling.  Lose your pain.  

Enroll in my brain-based Balance Training classes. YOu're worth it!  Your future depends on it.
February:  Woodland Senior and Community Center
March:  Fair Oaks and Rancho Cordova and Rocklin
April:  Woodland Senior and Community Center

Feel Confident Walking Your Dog

I recently finished my first ever 4-week Brains and Balance Training in the beautiful gated-community of Whitney Oaks Springfield in the hills of Rocklin.   This independent living community is paradise.  Residents are active and many walk their dogs up and down steep hills and enjoy gorgeous views.

A small group between the ages of 76 and 86 invested their time and a minimal fee to participate in the 90-minute brain-based classes that met twice a week for four-weeks.  I applaud these individuals for their interest in brain-based training for optimized movement in daily activity.  Thanks for believing in the message I am sending:  your brain can change and you can learn how to move better, balance better, and see better.

One of the most improved in the class was a 76-year old lady who not only excelled in the three Senior Fitness Tests but also gained balance confidence that has impacted her life in wonderful ways.

Physically, she stood up and sat down 3 more times in 30 seconds, putting her in the 95th percentile for ladies her age.  Emotionally, she feels more secure and has increased confidence walking her dogs up and down the paths in her beautiful community.

She continues to be fascinated by the brain-based training and sensory activation techniques that caused her to balance, move and see better in four short weeks.

Neighbors in the Whitney Oaks community....don't miss out on the next Brains and Balance Training with Coach Kelly session!  Introductory Brains and Balance seminar in late-January and classes begin in February.    Check out my website for local schedule.

Listen to her personal testimony!  Thank you Diane!