Myth: I have vertigo so my balance won't ever get better

Vertigo is an inner ear disorder that is characterized by bouts of paralyzing dizziness, nausea, fatigue and of course, the anxiety and depression due to these unpredictability of life altering episodes.   Some vertigo is situational and disappears while other types of vertigo can last a lifetime.  Needless to say falls are a major concern for people who suffer from vertigo due to inner ear dysfunction.

Train Vestibular Input for Better Output with Coach Kelly

There are other types of inner ear disorders that have the same impact; dizziness, the loss of daily functional ability and falls.  My aunt Betty was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease had to quit line dancing; her favorite activity for forty years.

Although she was able to manage some of the symptoms with medication, her inner ear disorder affected all other areas of her life which negatively impacted her quality of life.

While inner ear disorders can be life altering, there are ways to train the vestibular system for better balance and reduction of the  many symptoms that accompany inner ear dysfunction.

Unfortunately when someone experiences dizziness or loss of balance due to head movement, they subconsciously begin to change body position and behavior to restrict head movement.  Smart brain, huh?  Two classic representations of a person living with inner ear disorder are: 1) Bobblehead or 2) Stiff walking.

Bobble head means the head moves all over the place when walking.   This is done subconsciously because one of the brain's reflexive pathways isn't working.  The other extreme is the stiff walker.  This is also done subconscious to prevent any natural movement of the head that occurs when walking because another reflexive pathway isn't working correctly.  

Here's the best news:  you can retrain your vestibular system and begin to regain control of your life.  I train the vision, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems for better sensory input and less sensory mismatch.  The result is your brain feels "safe" and can better predict what's going on now and what to expect.

Your frontal lobe or human self can tell yourself exactly what's going on but the part of the brain responsible for movement and vestibular integration doesn't communicate like that; it needs consistent, strong inputs for better movement or as I like to say, "all cylinders firing".

Now that I'm a Z-Health neuro-performance coach and balance expert who specializes in vision, vestibular and proprioceptive inputs to the brain, I wish I could have helped my Aunt Betty manage her meniere's disease for better daily function and maybe even get back on the dance floor.  I couldn't help but I'm here to help you.  

Can I cure you?  No.  That's up to you.  I give you the tools and you do the work.
 
I make NO PROMISES OR GUARANTEES but I can offer new brain-based training methods that have been shown to work.  If you've tried everything and nothing has worked, it's time to try something else.  I offer neuro-scientifically proven, holistic neural training to optimize daily performance.

Training Packages available   Skype/Facebook Live sessions.
Please contact me for more information:  info@thefallpreventionlady.com

Increase Flexibility, Improve Walking Gait and Prevent a Fall

Lower body flexibility is one of the fitness and fall risk markers that I assess in my Brains and Balance Training classes.  Following standardized senior fitness testing protocol, I test class participants on the first day and again on the last day to measure efficacy of training intervention on reduced fall risk.

I've been implementing Senior Fitness testing on every person in every class since 2006;  I have 12 years of data to demonstrate the effectiveness of consistent brains and balance mobility training.  I can honestly say that class participants have improved in AT LEAST ONE of the three senior fitness tests /fall risk assessments in my twelve years as a balance and mobility instructor.

The class works when you do the assigned homeplay exercises.  These do not take much time but they do take effort.  Why should you care about lower body flexibility?

• Lower body flexibility is necessary if you want to walk without tripping over your toes.  
• Lower body flexibility is necessary if you do not want to shuffle.  
• Lower body flexibility is necessary if you do want to relieve low back pain.  
• Lower body flexibility is kind of a big deal for independence.

Every once in awhile I have a class participant who improves exceedingly above the average.  In the latest class at Del Webb's Retreat in Roseville, I had three participants who improved so much in their lower body flexibility that I wanted to write about it.

The guy who improved the most in his lower body flexibility gained 4.5 inches in five weeks.  Let me explain; on day one, his reach was nearly five inches from his toes.  On the last day of class, he could touch his toes!  This gentleman is 76 years old.

Close behind him was the 90-year old female participant!  Although she was still three inches from reaching her toes, she gained THREE INCHES in lower body flexibility during the five week training.  As a result of improved lower body flexibility, she walks more steady and balanced.

In fact, during the first week of class she held onto her husband's arm when doing walking gait exercises.  Let's just say that quickly changed!  Now she's walking independently, more steady, with more confidence and an upright stance.  100% improvement in her walking gait.

The third participant who made huge improvements in his lower body flexibility was her 91-year old husband.  On day one, he was two inches from reaching his toes.  On the final day, he was touching his toes.  This guy not only improved in lower body flexibility but also lower body strength; he was able to do six more chair stands on the last day of class!

I am so proud of everyone in this session of Brains and Balance Training with Coach Kelly at The Retreat in Del Webb; especially the couple in their early nineties.   It's so awesome to see everyone improve; by the second week, postural improvements are evident  By the third week, personal awareness of changes in daily activities are reported.  The fourth and fifth week solidify these improvements within the nervous system and the entire body moves better.

Increased lower body flexibility and stronger leg muscles are fitness components that all older adults need if they want to avoid an accidental fall.  These two fitness measures are essential for a healthy walking gait and independent lifestyle.

Train the brain to improve movement.
Movement is life; it's time to start living.

The Fall Prevention Lady, aka Coach Kelly

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™