Exercise science changes; so should your exercise program

Exercise science research is constantly unveiling new things about the brain and the body.  As such, trainers should be continually upgrading and modifying their training programs.  

Mike Boyle, featured speaker at the Perform Better's Learn by Doing workshop in San Francisco is a seasoned trainer; he's been a successful strength and conditioning coach in the field for over 30 years.   His presentation was amazing as he jokingly recalled some of the 'old school' training methods we trainers have all used and some of the trending themes in the fitness world over the past few decades.  

It was funny to look back and remember how we all ran out and got blood pressure cuffs to measure the transverse abdomens activation but at the same time, I was laughing inside because of the lack of knowledge he and other main stream fitness coaches have about the brain's function in sports and in life.

It was refreshing to hear Mike and Dana Strong acknowledge and teach the importance of respiration training since oxygen is one of the primary sources of fuel for the brain.  It was funny to see that they disagreed on correct breathing technique.  Ah, that's the fitness world; one trainer will teach you one thing and another coach will teach you something entirely different.

As Mike said, it's crucial that you listen and be humble enough to realize that the methods you've been teaching may have been wrong.  Things change.  With an overwhelming amount of information available to us at any given moment, it's up to you to do research.  Or find a reputable coach who is growing; one who is constantly learning.  One who wants the best for her clients.  

Brain-based training by Z-health is the future of fitness.  The neuro-revolution is upon us. Don't wait ten years for current neuroscience research to reach the general public.  Find a Z-Health Trainer and live maximize your potential.  

Cadaver Dissection Insights with The Fall Prevention Lady

Last month I was blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime; to watch and participate in a human cadaver dissection!  This wasn't your typical anatomy and physiology lab dissection; this dissection was movement-oriented in that we focused on the muscles, nerves, tendons, and fascial tissue of the human body and how lifestyle choices affect the way you move.

Anatomy Live, Phoenix AZ 2017

Michol Dalcourt of The Institute in Motion collaborated with Tom Meyers of "Anatomy Trains" to offer this amazing weekend of enlightenment to personal trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists, and movement, balance and mobility specialists who strive to learn as much about the human body in order to offer our clients the most effective program for individual movement disorders.  

For eight hours, four teams of seven students stood alongside and worked with a Master Dissector.  While students dissected the torso and extremities to view the muscles and fascia at each table, one group focused on the internal organs, Tom's team studied the brain, expert dissector Todd's table went up one side in the morning and down the other in the afternoon while my team dissected the frontside in the morning and the backside in the afternoon.  

Four lives lived. Four lifestyle behaviors reflected four cadavers.  With much respect, we named our cadaver and learned how she lived her life by the condition of her muscles, soft tissues and joints.  Here's what my team discovered about Frieda:

• She was overweight with most of the fat around her belly, butt and thighs (pear-shaped)
• She had typical "old age" posture, probably due to using a walker:
• Rounded shoulders
• Dowagers hump 
• Bent forward with chin jutting forward
• She walked with a limp, favoring her right side
• She had NO ANKLE FLEXIBILITY on her dominant left side
• She couldn't raise her arms over her head

Later that evening, as I 'dissected' the day's event in my mind (pun intended), I realized the four cadavers reflected a lifetime of personal choices and the resultant muscle imbalances, limited mobility and diminished strength associated with personal behavior and advanced age.  

It was fascinating to be able to deduce movement and compensation patterns of the person by the muscle integrity, joint mobility and connective tissue properties of the cadaver.  

This was the best learning experience of my life.  

I have a tremendous respect for the human body and the interconnectedness of the kinetic chain.  

As a balance and mobility specialist and movement re-educator, I was able to witness firsthand the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.  

As a result of this hands-on learning opportunity, my passion to help people break poor habits and "re-learn" how to move more efficiently has grown tremendously.  I am The Fall Prevention Lady and I want to help you move better, with less pain.  I am here to help you live the life you planned for.

Kelly

The Fall Prevention Lady

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