Brain-based Shoulder Rolls

I recently wrote about and demonstrated how to do shoulder rolls to reduce neck and shoulder tension that might be related to the stress of  Covid19 isolation.    Shoulder rolls are great to improve the brain's mapping thereby reducing stress (the better the map, the better the movement).

So I trust you've been practicing the rolls as needed to loosen yourself up throughout the days. 

Because I'm encouraging you to stay engaged, I want to show you the advanced version of the shoulder roll, the camshaft.  This is a shoulder roll with the arm extended in front of you.

This is hard to do.  This requires more brain activation to keep the arm straight the entire time.  Think about moving the shoulder blade as if you were doing a shoulder roll.

Enjoy.  Stay engaged.  

Stay well at home.

Watch and then follow along with me!

Never TOO old to IMPROVE Balance, Posture and Movement: 92-year old with Scoliosis, Kyphosis, and slight Dementia

Several weeks ago, a 65 year-old man contacted me about working with his 92 year-old father.  He told me he wanted his father to get strong and stay out of the nursing home for as long as possible.  One of his main concerns was his father being able to get up from the floor.  He also stated that he wanted his father to continue with the training schedule of three times a week that he was currently doing with the physical therapist.

He was switching from a well-known Physical Therapist to my services because insurance no longer covered his father's treatment since there wasn't anything physically wrong with him.  This was fantastic news to me because the work I do is equally as good yet much more affordable for out of pocket training.  As I began to explain the neural input training I do, he stopped me; he had heard of me and knew his father was going to be in good hands.

Brain-based Training Results In Better Movement and Posture

When "Frank" came to his first session, he was stooped over and relied heavily on his walker for mobility.  I started with senior fitness tests and then did a thorough neuro-assessment; testing his vision, vestibular and peripheral nerve function. As a Z-Health Neuro-Performance Coach, I am constantly assessing and reassessing to discover what type of input training works for him.

All this sensory input stuff was new but Frank went along with everything and would smile when there was a big difference in his reassessment; nothing compared to his smile after he reached down to touch his toes after sharp/dull sensory input testing! When we started, he was 6 inches from touching his toes. After several sensory input tests, he was touching his toes and smiling ear to ear.

Frank is Latino, 92-years old and he has slight dementia so there's obviously some communication challenges but he's a go-getter and does what I ask after some explanation.  Not surprisingly, he struggled with the cerebellum drills but the pay-off was outstanding; he stood up without using his walker and this time, he was beaming smiled ear to ear and said, "Yes!".   That was session #1.

Nine sessions later, Frank is standing taller, getting up powerfully, moving easier and walking more balanced.  We've practiced getting up from the floor; the first time Frank cussed me but the second time was much better.  Now he's practicing kneeling exercises so being on the ground isn't as threatening to his brain or his body.  

Before session #5 at his home, Frank's caregiver told me he fell last night. Before I could say "uh-oh", she told me his son said that by the time he could get to the room, Frank was up and sitting on the bed as if nothing happened!  She said "I don't know what you're doing but it's working!".  

I am so proud of Frank and the huge strides he's making in our training sessions. Through ongoing sensorimotor testing, I've identified what areas of Frank's brain need more activation than others and I  consistently training the neural inputs (vision, vestibular and peripheral nerves) for improved motor output.   

The results are phenomenal; his stooped posture is standing more upright, his right-side scoliosis is becoming less evident and he's stronger and more stable.  This man is 92-years young and he's thriving with neural activation.  It's never too late and you're never too old to improve your balance, strength, posture and coordination.  

Gain control of your emotions with brain activation drills

We all have those occasional emotional meltdown moments; those times when we feel emotionally out of control.  This "limbic escape" is your brain's way of protection.  The emotional response will get you to stop whatever you're doing and cry, scream, yell, or whatever your emotional response might be.

The "old brain" is responsible for our emotions.  The way to gain control of your emotions is to inhibit old brain function.  That is the number one responsibility of the new brain; to inhibit the old brain.

Of the three training methods to help you gain control of your emotions, frontal lobe activation drills are my favorite.  If you want to learn specific drills to help gain control of your emotions and your body, contact me for private training sessions.

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Your brain can change the way you feel and the way you respond.  Learn how to gain control of your mind and emotions through precise brain training drills.  I'd love to help you.

Your coach,
Kelly Ward
The Fall Prevention Lady

Life is better after two cerebellar strokes with brain training drills

I met Don at the "Fall Prevention 101" workshop I presented for the Del Oro Caregivers at the Maidu Center in September 2017.  At the time, Don was struggling with severe balance issues related to inner ear canal dysfunction resulting from head injuries when he was younger.  Dizziness is a huge problem for people who have had traumatic brain injury, concussions, or any type of head injury.

Granted Don's head injuries happened many, many years ago but at age 74, he was not ready to accept life on dizzy terms.  He eagerly signed up for my Brains and Balance class at the Fair Oaks United Methodist church.  While he was able to do 75% of the exercises without getting dizzy, we quickly realized he needed more personalized training.

Cerebellum is the integration center of the brain

After several private training sessions, Don was making improvements but was still angry that he couldn't do what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted.  This is common as we get older; there comes a time when we have to accept 'new' limitations and treat those issues if we want to live better longer.   Needless to say, he wasn't pleased about this whole "aging" process!

I didn't hear from Don over the holidays then I got a call, "Can you come see me, Kelly?" Absolutely.  At our visit, he told me that he had two strokes in his cerebellum over the holiday and wanted my help.  He told me the physical therapist at Kaiser was good but she wasn't as good as me!  Flattered and having just completed Z-Health's doctoral level 9S Structure course, I felt confident in my ability to test and train his cerebellum.

I assessed and identified left cerebellum dysfunction, specifically in the mid-Cerebellum region, and prescribed drills for him to do several times a day.  Due to the cost of private sessions, I don't see him as often as I would have liked but yesterday, I got a call; "can you come see me?"

Yesterday I visited Don and could not believe my eyes; he looked AMAZING!  Everything about him was different; he was more calm, his eyes were relaxed, he was balanced and when we went through the drills, he did fantastic!  He said he felt better than ever and was pleased with the results.

I asked what he'd been doing and he said, "I've been doing all the drills you told me to do; I feel great and I wanted to thank you for saving my life"!   All the training charts were on the wall, he described his daily routine and said he wanted more drills!  The perfect client!

Don is living proof that doing drills to activate specific regions of the brain can have profound effects on the way you move, see, balance and behave.  Precise training gives you precise results but you HAVE TO DO THE DRILLS.

If you want to live better longer, contact me.
If you've had a stroke and want to activate parts of the brain to help you move better, contact me.
If you want to see better, balance better and move better, contact me.

If you have your reservation at the nursing home, do not contact me.

Movement is life; it's time to start living!
The Fall Prevention Lady

Cerebellum: Home of Accuracy, Balance and Coordination

How’s YOUR Balance or Neurologically Speaking, How's Your Cerebellum?

The other day in my Brains and Balance class, I talked briefly about the cerebellum because the cerebellum is a vital part of the nervous system necessary for accuracy, balance and coordination; things we all need to get through this life gracefully or at least remain on our feet!

The cerebellum, also referred to as the “little brain”, is the brain’s integration center.  The cerebellum is involved in all movement; it responds to the cortical signal for movement, relays that message to the appropriate body parts and then gets feedback from the skin, joint and muscle receptors about the accuracy and coordination of the ongoing movement.

If the movement is poor, the cerebellum corrects the inaccuracies in order to produce coordinated, balanced movement.  

Movement is a dance between the sensory and motor systems and the cerebellum is a key player in the activation and inhibition of muscles.  Good balance, accuracy and coordination requires a healthy, well-functioning cerebellum.

In order for the cerebellum to be healthy, it must get consistent, timely input from our eyes, inner ear, skin/joint/muscle receptors as well as other parts of the brain.  Simply said, the better the input, the better the output.

Minimal to weak input signals result in no movement or ratchety and uncoordinated movements.    Poor input equals poor movement.  If the sensory inputs the brain don’t get activated on a regular basis, the input signals become weak and defective.  Your brain doesn’t trust weak and dysfunctional signals.  In other words, use it or lose it. 

Think about walking in the dark with little to no visual input; movement is slow, uncertain because the vision inputs are unreliable.  A cerebellum that isn’t activated regularly becomes dysfunctional and the consequences are evident; either in your balance, stability, coordination or all of the above.

In class we did some quick cerebellum tests.  First we did rapid toe taps.  Was the left as quick and timely as the right?  Then we did rapid hand rotations on the opposite palm.  Fingers and thumb straight and clasped together, we hit the back of the hand then flipped over to hit the palm of the hand against the open, flat palm of the other as fast as possible for 5-10 seconds.

Some inaccuracies in coordination and rhythm were immediate while others showed up after about 3-5 seconds.  For a few, this didn’t seem to be too difficult, at least for one hand!  That is completely "normal" finding however I suggest that you get your cerebellum activated! 

How do you train your cerebellum?  There are lots of ways but to keep things simple, to improve cerebellar function, train the inputs and practice circles and figure 8s. Accuracy, balance and coordination.  Activate your little brain to improve balance, accuracy and coordination.

Your Brains and Balance Coach~
Kelly
The Fall Prevention Lady

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