Foot warning: if you can't feel it, your brain can’t move it!

Our feet have 33 joints and have the most proprioceptive nerve endings than most other joints.  What this means to you is that your feet need to move.  Your brain needs to be able to move your feet and feel the different kinds of sensory inputs feet are capable of providing.

Ultimately, we live our entire life in shoes.

Rarely do people go barefoot and the result is your feet can't "feel" the different kinds of sensory sensations they were made for.  As a result, your feet lose the ability to feel sensation.  Numb feet can't feel the  surface you're walking on.

As a brain practitioner or heck, as a movement professional, let me tell you that if you can't feel it, it's hard for your brain to move it.  As a result, your brain can't move your feet very well.

People who have diabetes commonly develop peripheral neuropathy, or the inability to feel the ground and other sensations on the feet.  This permanent nerve damage is exasperated by lack of movement.  The less you move a body part, the less familiar your brain becomes with that body part. 

This is because your brain has "maps" of the body.  The more clear the map, the better the movement.  Poor mapping results in poor movement.  If you want to be stable in life and prevent a fall,  it helps to feel your feet and the surfaces underneath them.

Feet are so important for balance and prevention of falls that I spend an extraordinary amount of time re-introducing people to their feet!  We do foot and ankle mobility drills in my Brains and Balance Training classes so people can 'retrain their brain' how to move their feet again.  

Here's a great foot and toe mobility drill I learned from Dr. Cobb of Z-Health Performance Solutions.  Here's the deal when doing these brain based exercises, you have permission to be really bad when you first try these.  Your feet have been in "foot coffins" your entire life.  You haven't been asked to do this type of foot movement in ......FOREVER...... so it's only natural that this can be difficult.

In fact, don't be surprised if you can 't do them.  Your brain hasn't had to move your feet in this way in a long time, if ever, so don't get frustrated.  Keep practicing and you will get better!

The science of neuroplasticity proves that your body will re-wire and change for survival.  Feeling your feet in contact with ground, and being able to move them, is part of survival.   Have fun.  

Move those feet!  Rub those feet!
Kelly

New Brain Cells. New YOU.

Neurogenesis.  Your brain produces new cells everyday.  In fact, your nervous system makes new neurons (basic cell of the nervous system) well into the ninth decade of life.   What does this mean to you?  You can change the way you move, your balance and your thoughts no matter how old or young you are.

Here's the catch; these new neurons need to be stimulated or they will die.  You have to do something to keep them alive.  The way to stimulate new neurons is to make new memories and learn new skills.

LEARN AND GROW.

What does that look like for you?

1. Get out of your comfort zone.  We are creatures of habit.  We do the same things everyday, we eat the same foods every week.   Try something new.  Go a different route to the store.  Walk a different direction around the track.  Try a new restaurant.  
2. TURN OFF THE AUTO-PILOT.  Quit going through life without being present.  People go to the gym and do the same routine with the same weights week in, week out.  They are not thinking about their breath, or their body    We are in one place physically but mentally, you're worrying about the future or dwelling on the past.  Be present.   
3. Learn new skills.  It's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.  Learn how to move your body in ways you've never imagined.  Learn a new language.  Take an art class.  Learn how to dance.  Gain control of your body through specific joint mobility drills.

In my Brains and Balance classes, you will do all three things necessary to stimulate newly formed neurons.  An added benefit from the sensory and motor skills you will learn in class is the ability to change the way your brain is wired; improve what you already have.  This is called Neuroplasticity.   

Stay tuned for my next blog about Neuroplasticity; the science of hope and the future of fitness and key to a fulfilling, engaged life. 

Don't just get your vision checked, train your vision!!!!

Every Tuesday I get a highlight of articles published nationwide about fall prevention, senior balance and mobility and senior exercises.  Week after week, I read the same messages; "fall-proof" your home environment, watch your medications, exercise, and get your vision and hearing checked.

I totally agree with these suggestions however, things need to change.  As science unveils more about the brain and balance, professionals need to update the message to older adults about falls and prevention of falls.

The number one fall prevention message to older adults should be train your vision.  Don't just get your vision checked and be told by some doctor who hasn't read a neuroscience article in the past ten years that 'you're getting old",  "your vision is going to get worse and there's nothing you can do about it", or "you cannot improve your vision".  FALSE.  This is FALSE information!

Vision is a skill and like all skills, it can improve with practice.  Yes, there are diseases of the eyes (macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts) that will cause loss of sight but get those eyes moving; especially if you have one of those diseases.

I'm not a doctor, I'm not an optmologist but I am a nervous system specialist, a brain exercise therapist.  Each eye has six muscles.  Those muscles are innervated by three cranial nerves that go directly into the brainstem.

If you want to activate your brain and have an immediate and profound effect on your life, move those eyes.  Learn how to train the four components of vision and your vision will get better.  Your thinking will get sharper.  Your balance will improve tenfold.

Vision is the #1 input to the brain.  Training your eyes is the quickest way to improve your brain health.  So in those same messages to older adults, I want to add, Don't just get your vision checked, TRAIN YOUR VISION and watch your life change.

In honor of the new year and the new decade, 

I'm offering a "Starter Pack" special;

90-minute consultation + (4) sixty-minute sessions for $525

Book today:  info@thefallpreventionlady.com

Change the way you see, change the way you move, change the way you feel.  Get those eyes moving.

Brain-based Strengthening and Fall Prevention

I just completed an upper level certification Z-Health Performance Training weekend in Phoenix and the course focused on Strength and Suppleness.  As a fall prevention expert, I take all information and tweak it to  improve balance and prevent falls among seniors.

Lower body weakness is the leading cause of falls among older adults.  Strength is the mastery of creating tension.  What's fascinating is that none of us (or very few) were ever taught how to create tension.  Suppleness is the mastery of relaxation.  The brain requires a balance between the two; there are parts of the brainstem dedicated to this balance.

Even though we walk around "tense" from all the stressors in life, we are not creating strength; we are stressing and fatiguing our bodies.  One of the best ways to learn how to create tension in your muscles is an isometric contraction.   In fact, isometric contraction activates parts of the brain dedicated to midline stability (the supplementary motor area).

Isometric contractions are pushing (or pulling) against a stationary object.  This creates tension in the muscles.  Remember, strength is the mastery of creating tension in the muscles.  You have to know how to create tension and be comfortable with it.

If you want to touch your toes, do an isometric bicep curl.  In other words, with arm bent at 90 degrees by your side as if you were going to do a bicep curl, press down on wrist.  Try to pull wrist toward body.  Hold this contraction for 20 seconds.  THAT IS HARD TO DO.  Then try to touch your toes.  It should be better.

There are other ways to create tension in the muscle but isometric contraction is the least threatening to the brain and a great way to start.    Movement is life and it's time to start moving.

If you're ready to move better with less pain, contact me for a private consultation.  I do online training sessions.  It's never too late to improve your balance or your movement.

info@thefallpreventionlady.com

3-Step "How to Get-UP" from the floor

Falls are scary for older adults.  The older we get, the more fragile we become.  Most of us don't think about falls but when it happens to you, it's humbling.  A fall to the ground shouldn't hurt.  I should be able to bounce up and get on with my life like no-one saw it.

Unfortuately that's not the way it happens.  When a person over 60 falls, it hurts.  The hurt stays longer than expected.  The ankle takes months to heal and the shoulder still hurts years later.

In most cases,  it's not the fall that is the problem; it's getting up from the floor AFTER the fall!  In fact, nearly half of people who fall cannot get up without assistance.  WHAT????

Nearly half of people over age 65 

can't get up from the floor without help! 

This is a limiting factor in activities of daily life.  Just imagine not being able to get up without help.  That totally limits the type of movement you can do in a day.  You better not drop anything on the floor.  Forget getting down to play with your grandkids.......

Wait.  That's not what retirement is supposed to look like.  You've worked hard your entire life so you can enjoy time with the grandkiddos or on your own.  Freedom to get up and down from the floor should be yours.

As a personal trainer and movement re-educator, I specialize in teaching mature adults how to move their body weight both on the floor and standing, so they can live the life they deserve.

Teaching a person how to move his/her body so they can get up from the floor is probably the best skill I can teach.

Below I show you an option for getting up in case there's not a chair.  

Brains and Balance Training El Dorado Hills

El Dorado Hills is a beautiful, affluent suburb in the foothills of Sacramento and the older adults that live there are educated and know a good program when they see one.  This summer I offered several workshops to introduce brain-based balance training to this community and I just completed my first four-week Brains and Balance Training session at the Gilmore Senior Center.

Eight participants joined with high hopes of improving their balance.  After eight 90-minute sessions, each person left feeling more balanced, stronger and steadier on their feet.   One of the most consistent remarks I heard was how much steadier people feel while walking.

Pre- and Post-Senior Fitness Test scores showed huge improvements in four short weeks.  The most improved was a 71-year old woman with a chronic shoulder injury that affects her balance, stability and mobility.  She increased lower body strength by 7 chair stand ups, increased lower body flexibility by three and a half inches and was nearly two seconds faster getting up and walking eight feet.

The most improved male was a 76-year old gentleman who increased his lower body flexibility by FIVE and a half FULL INCHES and increased lower body strength by 5 chair stands in 30 seconds.   He worked hard doing his homework and applying the neuro-suggestions I give students for better performance.

Do you want to walk better?  Do you want to feel more steady on your feet?  Do you want to walk your dog with confidence?  Are you retired and ready to enjoy the next chapter of your life?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, get into a Brains and Balance Training program!

Simply neuroscience. Simply Fall Prevention.

If you can't explain is simply, you really don't understand it.  Albert Einstein.

Balance is complex.  Learning how to train it doesn't have to be.  As a Z-Health Neuro-Performance Coach, I am constantly trying to explain complex neuroscience and neuro-anatomy concepts in easy to understand phrases and analogies.

The science of neuroplasticity (any structural change in the brain to enhance performance so you will survive) is the science behind Z-Health.  I study the brain, both structure and function, and I am amazed at the results people (including myself) get when they activate underactive parts of the brain.

A guy in class asked me, why are we doing all this vision training?  I paused and explained the brainstem, cranial nerves, eye muscles and functional neuroanatomy in an easy to understand yet logical explanation.

A mentor of mine said study, study, study.  Write down potential questions and come up with a scientific explanation and an easy one.

My message today:  improving balance and preventing falls is not standing on one leg or following some outdated Balance Manual.  It's about training the muscles and senses involved in balance, particularly the brain's GPS system.

Keep it simple.  Train smart.

Time to try something new in fall prevention

Should we do what we've always done?  Maybe?  But, what if they way we had always done it was wrong?  Lee Cockrell, Creating Magic.

Great quote that every personal trainer, group exercise instructor and program coordinator should consider.  Things change.  Research studies unveil new methods that work and explain why old methods don't work. NOTHING IS FOREVER.

Unfortunately, government agencies only accept evidence-based programs for funding.  This is a disservice to older adults everywhere because by the time the program is approved, it's already outdated.  Newer, more efficient methods of balance training and fall prevention exist.

If you've been following the same program for years, or months and you're not getting results, it's time to try something new.  It's time to open your mind and do something different.

Change and growth occur outside of your comfort zone.  Brain-based training is the future of fitness.  Training your vision, inner ear and joint receptors are the future of training.  If your trainer isn't training your vision, ask why not.

I'm not a eye doctor but I am movement specialist.  Your eyes have muscles, six for each eye.  I train the eye muscles for better eye movement and better vision.  You will be amazed at the results you get when you learn how to move your eyes.

Time to try something new.
Brains and Balance Training with Coach Kelly
Balance Training 101 with Coach Kelly.

Guess which sister over the age of 74 was most improved in brains and balance class!

I recently finished a four-week Brains and Balance Training session at Fair Oaks United Methodist Church.  This class was something special because there were three sisters, ages 74, 83, and 86 taking this balance journey together.

The youngest sister just finished the class and because it helped her so much, she wanted her older sisters, both of whom had suffered a bad fall, to reap the benefits of my four-week brains and balance training program.

As usual, I collect pre and post-senior fitness test scores to measure the efficacy of the intervention; in this case, 8 sessions of small group, brain-based balance and fitness training with assigned homework drills.

Each sister presented with unique challenges to their balance and stability but they all did very well in the class.  There were some immediate improvements but the noticeable, "wow, you're moving so much better" changes started in the third week.  Taller, level postures.  Lengthened spines.  Quicker reaction times.  Big smiles.

Their nervous systems were integrating both sensory stimulation and motor activation better and the results were evident.

The post-assessment scores proved it!  There were some amazing results and the  sister with the most improved scores was the oldest!

Lower Body Flexibility:  
The 86-year old sister improved her lower body flexibility by 8.5 inches!  In FOUR-WEEKS!  Day one, she was six and one-half inches away from her toes and the last day, she reached two and one-half inches past those same toes!!!
Not far behind, the 83-year old sister gained an 5.5 inches.  The youngest has gained 8 inches but it has taken her a little longer (8-weeks) and there's nothing wrong with that!!!

Lower Body Strength: 
Sit down and stand up as many times as you can in 30 seconds.  The 86-year old sister did 3 more chair stands, the middle sister did 2 more and the youngest did more 4 more chair stands!  She also made it the full 30 seconds without stopping.  This was huge because she has COPD.  The fact that she can exert high effort and not lose her breath is beyond FANTASTIC!  Yay.

Dynamic Balance and Agility:
This tests how quickly they can get up from chair, walk around a cone that is eight-feet away, and return to seated position.  This is huge due to the integration of sensory and motor systems for mobility.  In the post-test, everyone walked with more stability, awareness, and confidence. The 86-year old was nearly 2.5 seconds faster!  WOW!

Amazing results in a short period of time.   And this wonderful sisterhood proves that you're never too old to improve strength, flexibility and balance.

Show your sister, or brother how much you care!  If you're in the Sacramento region, attend one of my live brain-based balance and mobility classes or attend one of my ABCs of Balance workshops.

If you're not in the area, make sure you sign up for my online balance training course, Balance Training 101.  Enrollment begins next week.

Brains and Balance Lady
Formerly known as The Fall Prevention Lady!

92 year old loses 20 pounds and 6 inches with Brain-Based Training

I've been working with a 92-year old client for roughly six months.   He trains three times a week for one-hour.  As his trainer, I've seen progressive changes in his performance and every once in awhile, I'll look at him and notice the big changes like his posture.

When I met him, he was bent over with kyphosis and scoliosis, shuffling and easily winded.  Over the past few month, I've seen him stand taller, stand straight, pick up his feet and lengthen his walking gait, practice getting up and down from the floor, crawl on the floor and control his breathing.   He's an entirely different person now; stronger, more confident and his slight dementia is even less.

His family is thrilled with his progress.  His son wanted his father to lose weight.  I told him that as his father gained control over his body through brain training and built muscle with resistance training, weight loss would be a natural by-product.

Well, his son sent me his personal measurements that he'd been keeping of his father and I was so proud of his progress, I had to share this:

				Left Side  (inches)		Right Side (inches)
Date	Time	Weight	BP	Foot - Ball	Ankle	Foot - Ball	Ankle	Waist (inches)
3/17/2018	8:15 PM	232.4	145/84					51 1/2
3/18/2018	7:10 PM	230.6	138/80	11 1/4	11	11 3/4	11
5/5/2018	5:30 PM	223.8		10 3/4	11	10 3/4	11	49
10/13/2018	1:00 PM	210.8		10.25	9.5	10.5	10.5	45.5

The man is 92 years old and he's lost 6 inches in his waist and 22 pounds of fat!  The swelling in his feet is down and his blood pressure measurements are now between 111/69 and 128/74.

This man is NOT on any medications and I've convinced his family to feed him whole foods that feed his metabolism; orange juice with hydrolyzed collagen protein, ice cream with salt, steak, potatoes, fruits, eggs, dairy, chocolate milk.

And this man has lost 22 pounds.  Praise God.  Brain-based training is the future of fitness and it's never too late to start.  At 92 years of age, you can lose 22 pounds, 6 inches from your waist and get stronger every day!

Glory to God!
Brains and Balance Lady,
formerly known as The Fall Prevention Lady

Train the Brain to Reduce Pain

Are you in so much pain that you feel like you can't go on?  Are you in so much pain that you want to crawl up into a ball and not move?  Is your comfort zone lying on your back with feet elevated?  Does the thought of going on like this another day bring you to tears?  Do you know that there's more to life than the pain you're going through?  Do you know you're too young to feel this way???

My new client answered yes to all of the above questions.  A botched back surgery left her with shooting pain beneath her shoulder blades; it hurt to raise her arms, it hurt to bend forward, it hurt to sit in a chair, it hurt to walk.  Everything hurt.

To top it off, she has emphysema so breathing even hurt.   When I got there her pain level was a 10 out of 10; actually a 15 out of 10 but you get my point.

I could see the pain on her face when I got to her home.  We sat at the kitchen table and I started with the 90-minute assessment.  During this time, I ask a lot of questions and test a lot of different things.  This is a great time to get to know each other and for me to learn what happened before what happened happened.  How did she get in so much pain.

Pain is an output from the brain.  Don't get me wrong; pain is pain and it hurts.  It's valid.  It's real.  But pain is a protective output from the brain to get you to stop doing what you're doing.   Your brain is overwhelmed and something needs to stop.  Pain is the quickest way to get you to stop doing something.

Pain is an output from the brain.  Train the brain to reduce pain.

However it's up to you to change and/or address what's causing the pain.  In my new client's case, her brain wasn't getting enough fuel and her eye muscles needed to be activated.  She also needed to start moving her nerves.  Her nervous system needed a major tune-up!!!  WHAT?

Once we did some breathing drills and vision training drills, there was a smile of relief.  When we did some nerve glides and got the nerves moving, there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes.  She told me that I was her last option; it was either work with me or get back surgery!  I embrace that challenge and left her with some drills to do for homework.

Before I left, I asked her to rate her pain on a scale from 1-10 again.  She smiled and said "5/10".  Yay!!!  My job was complete.

When I returned THE NEXT DAY to review the homework drills with her, a different woman answered the door!  The same client, but she wasn't in nearly as much pain.  She was smiling, she walked lighter and her entire demeanor was different.

When we sat down to go through the homework drills, she told me she was so excited last night that she couldn't sleep!  She felt different and knew this was going to work.  Now I was excited.  I love using brain-based fitness training to help people get out of pain, improve balance, see better and move better.

Once your brain gets the activation it needs, your entire mood will change.  Not in a voodoo/weird way but in the best way possible.  You realize there is hope at the end of tunnel.  There is more to life than living in pain.  You learn how to move your body so it doesn't hurt.  You learn how to breathe so your brain gets the oxygen it needs to function.

I am so excited about working with her and seeing her transform before my very eyes.  I'll take pictures so you can see the improvements along the way.

And hey, if you're like my client and want to get out of pain so you can start living the life you were meant to live, contact me.  Set up a consult.  
Click here to make an appointment:  
I want to get out of pain and live my life!

In Brain-Training, NO Protocol Fits All!

People want easy solutions.  A one stop shop; if I do this, then this will happen.   If you follow these three easy steps, you will be cured.  If you do this stretch every day, your hip pain will go away forever.  We like predictability.  We want answers.  That's humanity.

People want answers and people in the helping professions (personal trainers, nurses, doctors, therapists, specialists, experts) are quick to offer solutions.  That's what we do; we fix problems.  We are trained to fix the problem.  Follow this protocol and you will be healed.

Brains and Balance Training with Coach Kelly

Unfortunately, our brains don't work that way.   The brain determines your movement, your balance, your vision.  Your fears, your pain, your habits; it all begins in the brain.  Due to the fact that we've all lived different lives, chosen different paths and faced different obstacles, no two
brains are the same.

For that reason, what "works" for one person may not work for you.  A drill that makes you feel like a million bucks might not even phase your friend.  That's why brain training cannot be mass produced.  The methods to optimize movement and reduce pain for each person is different and as unique as the client.   The community of Z-health Performance Neuro-Professionals recognize that NO PROTOCOL FITS ALL.

Ninety-five percent (95%) of what we do is habitual.  Ninety-five percent.  Unfortunately that means we are cruising through life on auto-pilot; totally unengaged from the moment and the movements we make to get through the day.

In my Brains and Balance Training, I teach neural activation drills that positively impact movement and balance.  It's fun to watch people's reactions after doing a vision drill; some have amazing results others might not feel a difference.  That's because no two brains are the same.

Or one person may not have done it correctly; she might be thinking about dinner and not watching her finger.  Or she may have a weakened eye muscle from an accident twenty-seven years ago and is unable to move the eye in it's full range of motion.  Now that drill becomes a threat rather than a benefit and her movement may not improve.  It's absolutely amazing to apply functional neurology.

I'm science-oriented. I like facts.  I thrive on objective data.  I want data; not possibilities. As a trained Z-Health Neuro-Practitioner, I am trained in the application of neuro-anatomy. There are scientific explanations for every action and reaction however A+B doesn't always equal C.   Discovering the weak link and training for optimized performance is the beauty of what I do;
solving or better understanding the puzzle, the why behind the reaction.

I wish more than anyone that there was one "Improve Vision" or "Cure for Vertigo"  protocol that I could teach in my classes but there's not.  Each person has a history; a unique and valuable journey.   You've earned the body you have today; change is up to you.  It's possible to rewire your nervous system to be more efficient.

Regardless, know that your brain is plastic and can change with specific training.

Kelly
The Fall Prevention Lady
Or The Brains and Balance Lady

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.

Facebook:  The Fall Prevention Lady
Website:  The Fall Prevention Lady
Email:  info@thefallpreventionlady.com

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

Brain science is real; change is possible

.

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

Neck Flexibility Improves Posture and Balance

The spinal column is the highway of the nervous system.  Billions of neural messages are transmitted along the spinal cord each second; some descend from the brain to the body while billions of other messages take the fast route upward from the body to the brain.

An aligned spine facilitates quicker transmission of messages.
A properly aligned spine doesn't cause pain when moving.

TO improve your posture, sit in lengthened spine. Lengthened spine creates space between vertebrae which enables healthy nerve movement.

We need to make sure that we keep our body joints moving in the range of motion which God created them to move.  Starting your day with this neck exercise routine will prepare you for the day ahead with a smile and better balance.

Align your spine with these brain-based neck mobility drills.
Coach Kelly

Woodland Seniors Get Stronger, Quicker and More Flexible From Brains and Balance Training

I just completed a four-week Brains and Balance Training session at the Woodland Community Center and the fitness testing results are some of the best I've seen.  Every one of the 17 participants  improved in either lower body strength, lower body flexibility or dynamic balance and agility; some improved in all three components!  Way to go Woodland! 

As a certified FallProof™ Balance and Mobility Specialist, I perform pre- and post-assessments on all class participants to provide objective data about the effect of participation on their fall risk: I test three fitness components associated with fall risk on the first and last day of class.    

Here are some of the noteworthy improvements from this group of 17 seniors:

• 81-year old gentleman improved lower body flexibility by 4 inches in four weeks!
• 87-year old woman increased lower body strength by 3, lower body flexibility by 1.5 inches and increased her dynamic balance and agility by 1.4 seconds
• 85-year old woman increased lower body strength by 2, lower body flexibility by 3 inches and dynamic balance and agility by 1.1 seconds. 
• 77 year old woman increased lower body strength by 5, increased lower body flexibility by 2.7 inches and increased dynamic balance and agility by 1.4 seconds.  

That’s just objective data.  I don't measure posture, confidence or vision and I can say that every single person in the class improved in all of those areas, too.  

I'm super proud of everyone of everyone in the class and look forward to my next session of Brains and Balance Training at the Woodland Community Center beginning June 5.  

Save your spot and register today!

Brains and Balance Training with Coach Kelly

T/Th, 1-2:30pm

June 5-June 28

8 sessions for $125 

Woodland Community Center

You're worth the investment. 

  

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.

Posture begins in Lengthened Spine

Studying Z-Health functional applied neurology, I have learned more about balance and the brain than I had ever imagined.  The brain determines not only how we move through life but also how we see, balance and think.  This information is so good, I have to share tidbits that will help you move better, balance better and see better.

Today I am going to talk to you about posture. Posture is a reflex and posture is controlled up to seventy (70) percent by your vision!  Wow, think about those two statements for a minute.  Posture is reflexive. And posture is driven by your vision.

The Fall Prevention Lady's Lengthened Spine Demo

First, posture is a reflex.  For those people (and I used to train people this way) who throw your shoulders back, stretch chest muscles, strengthen neck flexors, hold your head level and even get massages to reduce tension in upper back, you know that the minute you walk out of the training session, your posture goes back to the way it was when you walked in.

That's because posture is reflexive.  In other words, your brain is focused on a level horizon and despite life circumstances (accidents, bumps and bruises) and occupational hazards (poor posture from a desk job), your brain is going to keep the horizon level for balance purposes.

As a result, your head will tilt, bend and turn to keep vision level.  The body will adapt physically to whatever is necessary to keep the horizon level.  If you slouch your shoulders and stick your neck out all day to keep the computer screen level, then your body will adapt to forward head, shoulders slouched and whatever is necessary to keep the horizon level.

The scientific phenomena known as the SAID principle states that your body gets good at whatever you do, however you do it.  If you look at the floor while practicing your drills, you will get really good at doing drills while looking at the floor.  Look up and your balance won't be good.  Cracks me up when I see people wasting money on 'balance manuals' that demonstrate people staring at the floor while doing the drills.

If you want to improve your posture, your balance and your vision, I suggest that you get into lengthened spine.  I start all of my classes discussing how people are carrying their head on their shoulders.  The average skull weighs between 8-12 pounds.  When perfectly aligned, your vertebrae are aligned and the spinal cord is lengthened.  When the head is jutted forward, the neck muscles have extra strain and weight of the skull.

Let me explain how to attain lengthened spine since how you carry your head directly impacts your vision, balance, posture and strength.

Lengthened spine: Sit or stand tall; both feet on the floor facing forward, top of the back of your head extended up toward ceiling, chin level and tucked back.  Here's the kicker, tilt your front teeth SLIGHTLY down toward collar bone.   NOT EXCESSIVELY but down where you see a level horizon.   Keep your chin tucked back and yes, you now have a double chin but you're in lengthened spine!!!!

Every time you so much as think about your posture, get into lengthened spine and keep your eyes on a vertical target in front of you at eye level.  Practice lengthened spine for every vision drill and try to maintain lengthened spine during balance challenges and all dynamic joint movement drills.

Posture begins with your eyes and is a reflex to life's imbalances.  In my classes, I teach vision drills, balance drills and movement drills designed to activate the parts of your brain that crave activation in order to move well, balance well and see well.

It all starts in lengthened spine; shoulders are down, chest is lifted, pretend you have a string on the back of your head lifting toward the ceiling, your chin is slightly down, and your eyes are focused on a vertical target at eye level....NOT AT THE FLOOR.

Do this exercise throughout the day. Anytime your even think about your posture, immediately get into lengthened spine.  Your spine and your posture will thank you.  So will your brain.

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

Younger faces and more men in balance classes

Over the past decade, I've been teaching FallProof™ balance and mobility classes to older adults in communities throughout the Sacramento California region.  As a certified movement re-educator and balance expert, I've seen the positive impact of multi-sensory training upon hundreds of lives and I'm proud to continue to teach 4- and 6-week sessions to adults who live at home and want to stay there through improved balance & quicker reaction speeds necessary to prevent a fall.

I've recently noticed a change in the 'average' FallProof™ class participant; 81year old females are now early to mid-70s with equal mixture of males and females.   As an established fall prevention coalition member, this demographic shift is exciting proof that "FREE" hospital outreach programs are successfully offering evidence-based programs to our "older" more frail adults.  

Most baby boomers, society's "younger" older adults, want to get a head start on retirement plans.  Due to the overwhelming number of research studies that demonstrate exercise as the number one way to remain independent and THRIVE in later years, these boomers are ready to invest time and effort into research-based programs led by qualified instructors.  As such, more people in their sixth and seventh decade, including MEN, are proactively enrolling in community-based "balance" training classes offered by qualified health and fitness independent contractors!  

I'm psyched because I've taken my "multi-sensory" masters degree to the next level with brain science.  As a certified Z-Health Practitioner, I train the nervous system and the engine running it; your brain.  Founded on research and science, Z-Health principles train the input, the interpretation and output of the nervous system.  The better the input, the better the output and the results are immediate.  No guessing if you're doing the best drill for your brain; your movement shows it!

As we age, there are two things we don't want to lose: 

1.  Your balance

2.  Your brains

My brain-based balance training class is perfect for anyone who is concerned about losing either #1 or #2, or both!  Your brain is a "use it or lose it" muscle and needs proper activation and proper fueling in order to run efficiently.  Want to learn more about how to train your brain so you can move well, balance well and see well?  

Visit my website (The Fall Prevention Lady) and enroll in one of my classes:

"Brains and Balance Z-Training with Coach Kelly"

Save your spot.  Be proactive.  Re-write the next chapter of your life.

Kelly