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

Drill to improve visual resolution, aka, see clearer

Vision is a skill and like all skills, it can improve with practice.  We train movement, we train balance but we do not train the muscles in our eyes!  We have six muscles in each eye that follow the rule of all muscle; use it or lose it!  Vision is the most powerful sensory input to the brain and takes up the largest amount of brain real-estate.  The optics rule.  Posture, movement, pain; all influenced by vision.  Directly.  As in Immediately.  The brain is the king of kings of our function.

There are four components to healthy vision:
1.  Eye movements
2.  Depth Perception
3.  Visual Resolution
4.  Peripheral Vision

Training these skills has an immediate impact on your nervous system; the benefits are instantaneous. As a Z-Health Movement Re-Educator and Movement Integration Specialist, I have been practicing vision drills on myself, my clients and my group classes and the results are astonishing.
It's not magic; it's neuroscience.

While sitting at my desk studying neurophysiology notes,  Dr. Cobb's YouTube message was talking about 'visual resolution', or the ability to see clearly.  Which happens to be one of the first signs of tired eyes.  Great, mine is horrible.  My eyes are tired.
😫

Dr. Cobb went on to demonstrate a drill that trains your 'visual resolution, aka, see more clearly.   I want to improve mine, so I grabbed the letter ball I had from a previous Z-Health certification weekend and started to follow along.

This drill was highly threatening to me.  I was nervous because I could not throw the ball consistently.  My throws are spastic; all over the place!  "Just toss the ball up in the air and watch one letter up and then back down"  "see it land". ,... yeah, on my face!  LOL.

I'm a basketball player so I instinctively spin the ball.  Fast.  LOL  I couldn't see anything but a blur until I slowed it down!  I was better with my left hand, just like in basketball.  I've learned that there  are drills that will equal out the consistency of my throws.

Laughing when it hit me in the chest, I followed Doc's advice and toned the drill down a bit by holding the ball and moving in toward my nose then out to arm's length.  5 times each hand.  Turn to see different letters.

I know this drill works with me because I immediately did a Z-Health assessment and compared pre-post assessments.  Results, bam!

Train your eyes.  Improve your vision.  

I invite  you to join me for my 12-week program, 

"3 Pillars Strong; Move well.  Balance well.  See well".  

I will be hosting two mixers in September to present the program, answer any questions and take registrants for the two classes I will be offering in October in Fair Oaks, CA.

Stay tuned for days and times.
"On the Z-Train"

3 PILLARS STRONG= MOVE WELL + BALANCE WELL + SEE WELL

I am proud to announce "3 PILLARS STRONG"; a brains and balance program that I will be offering in the Sacramento region.    Program details:  12-week program.  60-minute class meets once a week for 12 weeks.  Class lecture is followed by brain-based movement routine.  Participants are assigned weekly movement routines to follow at home and record daily performances.

3 Pillars strong= move well + balance well + see well

3 Pillars strong means you are training all three of the of 3 Pillars of Performance: movement, balance and vision.  Movement is to be expected in a training program but where there is movement
training, intentional vision and balance training is necessary.

Movement is a skill.  Balance is a skill.  Vision is a skill.  Skills are trainable.  Skills can be taught.  Skills improve when practiced.

No two bodies are the same.  In consideration of the individuality of the aging process, you will assess and re-assess in your training session to see how YOUR BRAIN and YOUR BODY responds to each drill and activity.  Thus, your training will be personally tailored.

What can you expect from the 3 Pillars Strong program?
Changes and Results.  Those who complete the program experience increased level of skill and performance in all activities, feel more stable and balanced and have clearer vision and skill.

See well.  Balance well.  Move well.

$20/class for 12-weeks.  $360.
12-week program + 3 private training sessions: $597

KICKOFF CLASSES:  
October-December, 2017:
AM and PM classes

EMAIL TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT:
info@thefallpreventionlady.com

Call (916) 821-5715

Website:  The Fall Prevention Lady

Facebook:  The Fall Prevention Lady

Now that fall prevention is mainstream.....

As a movement specialist, I am constantly researching new scientific discoveries in order to help my clients move better with less pain.  If I'm not studying assessment and exercise videos made by the best of the best, I have my nose in a book or personal notes from recent conferences.

My personal desire to learn as much as possible about efficient movement has been the driving force in my life since I moved to California over fifteen years ago.  As a Public Health educator, I was fascinated by the effect that our daily choices have on our overall wellness, especially movement patterns.   The longer a person makes poor choices, the more likely s/he is to have chronic disease and/or a chronic movement disorder.  It's called bad habits.  It's called life.

It was during my gerontology internship with the Area 4 Agency on Aging in 2006 when my focus turned from the association of daily choices and chronic health conditions to the prevention of falls through daily choices; specifically movement choices.  I instantly discovered FallProof and the importance of training the musculoskeletal and sensory systems responsible for balance, strength, flexibility and mobility.

Remember that in 2006, fall prevention was basically an unknown topic.  Sure, seniors were falling but not many people in influential positions realized how many older adults were falling, fatality and injury rates, the direct and indirect costs of these falls or the fact that a majority of falls could be prevented through a multi-factorial approach (Rose, 2003).

Fast-forward 12 years. What was once a specialty, fall prevention education and balance training for older adults, has become mainstream.  Due to the explosion of the aging population, fall prevention services are now offered by hospital systems and community agencies for free.  They are able to offer free because of government funding; only available to large agencies and non-profit companies that offer 'evidence-based' fall prevention programs (proven effective and able to be duplicated to the masses).

As an independent contractor, I can't compete with free!  As such, I've had to step back and do some personal reflection in order to figure out what's next. I understand that having volunteers who do not come from a physical fitness background not to mention have specialized adult learning training will only work for a specific segment of the population for a limited duration of time.  I also understand that the needs of the younger baby boomers will not be met by these programs.

I do know it's my spiritual gift to work with older adults. I do know my focused studies in aging, balance, and injury prevention have elevated my expertise as a balance and mobility specialist to a new level.   I'm a coach with over fifteen years of hands-on experience leading groups through the best balance training program for older adults.

What's next for this movement specialist?  Neuroscience.  Neuroplasticity.  Neurophysiology.
Think brains.  Think balance.  Think Brains and Balance on the Z-Train!

Stay tuned.

I can tie my own shoes now!!!

While the face of participants in my FallProof™ balance & mobility classes is getting younger, I still have the honor of coaching a few people over the age of 80.  In the April session at Fit4-U, I had both the 83-year old mom and her 56-year old daughter in class.  This was quite a combination and both did exceptionally well.  In fact, the oldest member of the class was also the most improved!

Barbara came to the Fall Prevention 101 workshop I presented at the local Church of Latter Day Saints and she was told me she eager to get started on the homework exercises since her balance was 'horrible'.  She was the first person in the door on the first day of balance training and she proudly stated that she had been doing her homework every night!

She came to class using a walker and said she only used it once in awhile and mostly because her daughter was so worried about her balance.  I assured her it was ok to use it when necessary and smiled as I said, 'you won't be needing that when I'm done with you!'.

By the fourth class, Barbara had switched from bringing her walker with her to carrying a cane.  She didn't use either in class but carried them 'just in case'.  The improvement in her walking gait became evident to everyone by the fifth class; she was standing taller, no longer looked at the floor and her walking stride was longer and stronger.

On the first day of class, she refused to do the sit and reach assessment because her back and legs were so stiff, it hurt for her to bend forward toward her toes.  I showed her a modified way to do that exercise and on the last day, she not only did the assessment but also scored in the 37th percentile for women her age in lower body flexibility!!!

At the last class, she was so excited about everyone's kind responses to her noticeable posture and walking gait improvements.  She was in tears as she recollected how she couldn't touch her toes or put on her own shoes before participating in this class.  She smiled ear to ear as she talked about how surprised her daughter in Arizona will be with her improvement when she visits next month.

A wise, vibrant woman, Barbara gets the connection between staying active and being independent.  She can't wait to repeat the beginner class in June and I can't wait to see her again, too!

Movement is life.  Start living.
The Fall Prevention Lady