It's not just ONE exercise that improved my balance

No one likes to admit they need help.  I've found that some older adults are hesitant to join "fall prevention" programs because if they did, they would be admitting weakness. Women are by far more likely to join balance training classes and thanks to their loving wives, more men are joining my classes.

One gentleman whose wife had to coax him to join the class, did amazingly well. His posture improved and his walking gait was steadier.  During the last week of class he admitted that his balance was better but he didn't know what exercise made the difference.  He said, "I think it was the cumulative effect of all the drills that improved my balance".

And he's right; a healthy brain needs activation. Because everyone is different and no two brains are the same, the types and amounts of stimulus will vary from person to person.  The key to great movement, better balance, improved vision, quicker reaction speeds and better posture is finding the type and right amount of activation YOUR brain needs.

That's what we do in my four-week Brains and Balance Training classes; systematically activate the different areas of the brain.  The brain has different parts that do different things.  Because neurons that lie together fire together, activating one area of the brain stimulates other areas.

How do you know what drills make you better?  You assess and reassess.  In the fitness world, "You're guessing if you're not assessing" is a golden rule among top-notch trainers.  Seriously, why would you want to do a drill or exercise that makes your body movement worse?  You don't.  That's why you need to assess and reassess to see how your body (and brain) are responding to exercises.

In Brains and Balance Training, I give adults tools for their "balance and fall prevention" toolbox in order to live a better life.  Different brains, different options.  Discover what areas of your brain need stimulation and enjoy the benefits of healthy functioning brain.

Registered Nurse Living with PTSD Overcomes Fears with Brain Training

Overcame broken back with brain-based training from The Brains and Balance Lady on Vimeo.

Everyone has different reasons why they choose to enroll in my brain-based balance training programs. Falling and fear of falling is a huge motivator for a lot of people because my four-week program gets RESULTS.

Neuroscience research proves that the brain will make structural changes to survive and what's awesome is that you don't have to be over 80 to get results from my class!  Your brain wants to survive and will change with proper training.

Here, a sixty-something retired US Air Force nurse shares her personal testimonial about how brain-based training has helped her overcome her fears of movement after breaking her back.   The greatest benefit for her has been learning how to conquer fears so she can do the things she most enjoys; exercise, jumping, and spending time with her grandkids.

You are not alone in your fears.  Join others just like you in one of my Brains and Balance Training sessions or I can come to you for private training sessions.  I'll meet you where you are now to get you where you want to be.

Brain-based training is the future of fitness.  Let me show you how to activate parts of your brain for better balance, better movement and better vision.    Or, if you're living in pain, I offer holistic training methods to help you manage pain.

Whatever your goals, I want to help you reach them

Your coach,
Kelly

Brain science is real; change is possible

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Here are some critical definitions I want you to know about your brain, body and balance:

Neuroscience is a form of neurology based on the science of nervous system focusing on brain function and body movement
Neuroplasticity is the scientifically proven fact that the brain can and will change for more efficient function.
Applied neuro-anatomy is the systematic assessment of precise neural inputs on brain function and observed motor output.
Applied neurophysiology considers the results of thorough input assessments and designs an individualized program that provides the highest payoff in movement and skill proficiency and pain control for an individuals.

Neuro-Performance are professional  athletic trainers invest time, money and energy into each level of applied neuroanatomy and applied neurophysiology education.  Professional development that includes four-day certification weekends, hours of pre- and post-weekend study and years of application to learn this highly specialized neural testing and training program.

A program based on emergent research.  Research findings that take ten years to reach the general public.  Get in on it now.  What are you waiting for?  What have you got to lose?

Chronic Pain. Poor eyesight. Dizzy.  Lethargic. Weak.  Slouched posture.  Neck pain.  Poor sleep.  No energy.  Aching pains.  Stiff joints.  Thats' what you've got to lose.

Work with me and learn to gain control of your body.  Feel in control of what's going on.  Connect to your body.  Through comprehensive assessment process, we practice drills that make your brain fire efficiently.  An efficient brain produces efficient movement.  Pain-free, optimized movement is how the brain was made to function.

Work with me to develop your neural highways.  Upgrade your neural software.  Rewire for efficiency.  90-minute consultation: $150.  Special for the rest of May, $125.
I will come to you and work with you in your environment.
Facebook consultations: The Fall Prevention Lady on Facebook

Coffee Talk with The Fall Prevention Lady

If you want to learn how to fight the affects that aging 

has on your balance and quality of life,

Mark your calendars: 

Tuesday mornings, April, 2018!  

7aPST/9aCST/10aEST

I'm proud to announce my Live Facebook show, "Coffee Talk with The Fall Prevention Lady!".

Starting April 3rd, I will be hosting a question/answer, exercise demonstration, and informal educational discussion on all things aging, balance and fall prevention!

Every Tuesday morning (7am west coast, 9am central, 10am east coast), I will be online to offer any advice or suggestions to help you improve balance and reduce the risk of a fall.

Where:  FACEBOOK.  My page, The Fall Prevention Lady.  Click here to like my page so you can be a part of the weekly coffee talk with The Fall Prevention Lady!
My Facebook page link:  Join Coffee Talk Discussions
My Facebook page address:  www.facebook.com/thefallpreventionlady

Feeding Pattern of the Brain for Better Balance and Performance

The brain is a remarkable organ that uses approximately 70% of your daily caloric intake to function.  The better the fuel source, the better your brain can function.  The anatomy of the brain is such that the "old" brain, where the sensory and autonomic regulators live, get fed first and the "new" brain, where you make decisions including all voluntary movement and feel emotions, gets fed last.

The feeding pattern of the brain follows blood flow; back to front, bottom to top.  Oxygenated, nutrient dense blood enters the brain from the bottom, back region and flows up and to the front lobes of the brain.  Bottom to top, back to front.

What does that mean to you?  Sensory input to the brain has a powerful effect on how you move. Your vision, vestibular, and skin/joint/muscle receptors all get fed before your 'voluntary' movement; before the decision making part of the brain gets fed.  Sensory before motor.

In order to function optimally, your brain needs fuel and activation.  Stimulating the sensory receptors activates different parts of the brain so the "use it or lose it" principle applies to neurons in the nervous system more importantly than muscles.

Fuel sources for the brain are oxygen and glucose.  Breathe and Eat.  Feed the back of the brain before you feed the 'human' part.  Make better decision and move better if you feed your brain the nutrients it needs.

If you want to improve your balance, feed your brain accordingly.  Eat sugar.  Enjoy juicy fruits.  Orange juice is your new staple.  I'm not a nutritionist but I am studying neurology.  Research demonstrates that the brain needs quick absorbing sugar; fructose is wonderful.

Eat often enough so your blood sugar can supply the ENTIRE brain with the fuel it needs to function and stay away from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).   PUFAs prevent the absorption of glucose.

In other words, PUFAs do not allow your brain to access the sugar in the blood.  The result?  HIGH BLOOD SUGAR.  Not because you're eating too much sugar but the PUFAs block the absorption of sugar.

What contains PUFAs?  Think nuts, nut butters, nut oils, grains, chickens and cows that eat grains.  Your brain needs fuel and activation.  Fuel is oxygen and glucose.  Yes, sugar is good for the brain.  Nuts are not.
Ray Peat Resources: LINK to LIST

Absorb that information, breathe and eat some fruits and chocolate.  Like all things in life, moderation.  Your brain will function better and you will ultimately think and move better.

Feeding pattern of the brain:

Back to Front, Bottom to Top

The Fall Prevention Lady™

Requirements for Brain Change to Occur

The science of neuroplasticity proves the ability of the brain to change; to develop new neural pathways that increase efficiency and optimize performance of brain and body.  Activating areas of decreased brain function can decrease pain, improve vision, improve memory and cure chronic movement problems.  Knowing that the brain has the capability to change is exciting; it means that we can gain control of our body and mind.

While change is possible, there are certain conditions that must be met in order for any neural change to become permanent.  What is necessary for brain change to occur?  What is the ideal environment for neural changes to happen?

First, a trained applied functional neuroanatomy professional must test brain function and identify areas of weakness.  Once identified, your qualified trainer will implement specific drills and record how your brain reacts to specific activations.

In order for the changes brought about through specific activation and/or inhibition, the following conditions must be met:

1.  Pay attention to what you're doing; be present.  This is the most important thing for you as a client; when training the brain you must pay attention to the drill you're doing.  We all have times when lifting weights or exercising in general that we drift off into random thoughts.  Once we've learned "how" to do an exercise,  we often slip into "autopilot" mode and go through the motions without mentally thinking about what we're doing.  

This lack of focus will not cause neuroplasticity to happen.  When trying to form new thinking and movement patterns, you need to concentrate and be present in the moment.  This is not 'autopilot' mode; once that occurs, bad habits sneak back in and no significant change occurs.

2. Short Frequent Sessions:  Length of practice time matters.  Intensity of practice matters.  Frequency of practice sessions matter.  The general rule of thumb to practice is 5 minutes four times a day, seven days a week.  So if you want to improve your vision, you will practice specific vision drills for 5 minutes four times throughout the day.  

3.  Practice. Just do it.  You know what you need to do.  You know how to do it.  But you don't do it.  Why?  Just start with one thing.  Just move the eyes.  If you're depressed, do the recommended eye drills proven to activate pain inhibitors and stimulate positive, feel good chemical changes in the bloodstream.  Once you start moving, the juices begin to flow.  This is not strenuous but subtle.  

4.  Believe that change is possible.  Fundamentally, you gotta believe that you have the power to control your mind and change the patterns that aren't working.   To make the changes permanent, believe you can do this; you change the way you think, the way you balance, the way you see and the way you feel.

Neurology 101: the better the input, the better the output

I vaguely remember learning about the brain in high school.  I recall lobes, dural matter, grey matter, action potentials, synapses; the basic science of it all.  Over thirty years later, I am fascinated by the nervous system and how the brain works.  In fact, the science of neuroplasticity gives old dogs like myself hope for a renewed future.
As a movement specialist and balance expert, I help people break poor movement patterns and re-learn how to move more efficiently with less pain.  I study under Dr. Eric Cobb, creator of Z-Health Performance; a brain-based approach to movement.   I love his teaching style and have learned amazing things about the brain and how the health of our brain is reflected in our postures and movement patterns.

Neuro101:
Input data from sensory systems travel to brain where the messages are interpreted and the brain sends an output.  Input.  Interpretation.  Output.  1, 2, 3.   Our nervous system works in a loop; the better the input, the better the output.   In order to prevent a fall, this process has to happen in less than one-quarter of a second.

Everything we do is an output of the brain; strength, balance, flexibility, pain.  Movement specialists train the outputs.  Experts train the inputs.   Dr. Debra Rose's FallProof™balance and mobility program introduced me to the three sensory inputs and my Master's studies focused on how to train the muscles and senses for better balance and mobility.   I"ve been teaching multi-sensory balance training for over ten years.  I've witnessed the fact "the better the input, the better the output".

My doctoral level studies in Z-Health Performance Solutions have taught me how to train the inputs in order to optimize performance, enhance balance and confidence while feeling less pain.  It's a scientific fact that once your "old" brain feels safe, you will move better, see better and feel better.  Simply said, the better the input, the better the output.

Why would a health professional train the outputs if the message going to the brain and the interpretation of the data is the source of the problem?  Because they don't know; this is cutting edge applied neuroscience.  New scientific research demonstrates the neuroplasticity of the brain and how precise training of the brain give you precise results.

Don't waste your money on outdated "Balance Manuals"; you can do the same exercises over and over but without training the inputs, the outputs will only improve as much as the brain allows.

Give your brain what it needs and get the results you want.
Kelly

Baby boom changing the face of fitness....

The face of balance and mobility training is getting younger.  As the baby boomer population explodes, so does the interest in different types of training classes; classes that:

• Focus on total body wellness
• Prepare the body for the next chapter of life
• Enhance performance so a person can live longer better
• Train the brain and utilize the scientific principle of "NEUROPLASTICITY"

I no longer hear, 'I wish I knew you fifteen years ago' but rather "I don't want to turn out like my mother.  She fell and that was the end of it", "My father fell, had all sorts of problems and had to move into assisted living; that is not the quality of life that I worked for".  "My wife and I have lots of traveling to do and we want to live our lives while we still can".

Baby boomers are more educated about the importance of fitness and truly understand that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".  Most boomers are more educated about the different types of exercise needed in a well-balanced fitness routine and they understand that personal training is an investment in their life.  They realize that their health and well-being are THEIR responsibility and a person must get active if you want to stay active.

What everyone needs to understand is that exercise isn't so easy that you can't mess it!  If exercise were easy, everyone would be doing it.  Sitting, staring at a computer and driving for hours are what I call "occupational hazards" that take a tremendous toll on the body over the years.  The demand for corrective exercise practitioners has tripled and specialty areas are increasingly popular.
                 
Unfortunately, a staggering 80% of adults quit an exercise program in the first six weeks due to injury.  Enter your movement re-educator; me, the person who has studied fitness all her life and knows how to get you safely to your goals.  Enter the balance and mobility expert; me, the person who has the skills to improve balance and stability using brain-based balance techniques.  Enter the Z-health practitioner who has invested in a neurology-based education to teach you how to rewire your nervous system; upgrade your software.        

Baby boomers want brain-training.  As a Movement Integration Specialist, I offer the best brain training program available; 3 Pillars Strong; Move well.  Balance well.  See well.  I will be hosting two mixers in September to kick-off my new braining-training program with classes starting in October.

www.thefallpreventionlady.com

Intermediate, Ongoing Balance and Mobility Training

Finally!!!  I will be offering ongoing, intermediate level balance and mobility training class in Sacramento for anyone who has graduated The Fall Prevention Lady's four-week FallProof™ beginner level program.

Details:

• Tuesday and Thursday mornings 
• 10:30a-Noon 
• Fit4-U Fitness Studio  (4440 Marconi Ave, next to Tricks Gymnastics)
• $99 punch card

Eligibility:

• Attended my 4- or 6-week FallProof™ beginner program
• Able to walk more than 300 feet without assistive device
• No uncontrolled medical conditions
• Cognitively intact

This is balance training at the next level.

As a balance and mobility specialist, corrective exercise trainer and movement specialist, I will implement a variety of training techniques designed to help mature adults move better with less pain.

The main focus of the intermediate classes will be FallProof™ balance and mobility training techniques however some brain training www.ontheztrain.wordpress.com will be practiced as I teach you how to break poor movement habits and learn more efficient, pain-free patterns.

Mark your calendars!