“Reading is to the mind what
Benefits of Exercise
Benefits of Exercise are more than empirical and intuitive knowledge: in modern age, there is no shortage of scientific studies conducted to prove that “Movement is medicine”. Exercise is good for.. EVERYTHING! No excuses, everybody knows it. What Mother Nature clearly had in mind for us is MOVEMENT.
If you do move, you will:
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear”.
~ Buddha
Creating a Healthy Habit
Let’s be realistic: Most of us cannot escape the attributes of modern lifestyle, like long hours of sitting at a desk or in a car. Medications to conveniently mask the symptoms of 21st century ailments are easily accessible. We are not taught at school that “We are what we eat” and that regular exercise is as important as, if not more, than mathematics. And to rephrase Joseph Addison, exercise is to the body what reading is to the mind!
Happy is a person who sees regular physical activity, in whichever shape and form it comes, as a status quo, as part of their being, as a non-negotiable constituent of their lifestyle. And although it is often true that wellness as lifestyle wasn’t instilled in us by our parents or teachers, from early on, there comes a time in life to take responsibility for your well being, and start honoring and respecting your body the way it deserves it, and make it one of your priorities. “Exercise because you love your body, not because you hate it”.
Time and again, people have asked me if I kill myself with exercise. The truth is, I never have. Yet I cannot attribute it to ‘good genetics’ alone. It is moderation, consistency, and a healthy dose of discipline.. Did I ever have to starve myself or try to stick to one or another restrictive diet? I never have. It is moderation, consistency, and a healthy dose of discipline.. Is it a big sacrifice and effort? It doesn’t have to be!
Creating a Healthy Habit
I look at it this way: there’s personal hygiene, and then there is “movement hygiene”. Who will voluntarily forgo brushing their teeth three days out of a week? It breeds discomfort and ailment. But so does lack of physical activity, except it is not so loudly obvious!
It does not have to, and shouldn’t be a binge-then-starve cycle. It can become a much loved part of your lifestyle – whether it is strength training and conditioning, or regular mobility work. Your own readiness for this change, coupled with wise professional guidance and coaching – and you will create a habit of, and eventually a yearning for exercising regularly. ’’Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going”.
Beware: You can get addicted to the post-exercise endorphin rush. You can get more inspired and set new, more challenging wellness and fitness goals. Remember: Appetite comes with eating, figuratively speaking!
You may work towards getting off some medications, or ensuring you will never have to get on certain ones. You may work on creating a habit of incorporating mobility/flexibility/yoga training into your weekly fitness routine. You may get into the best shape of your life, or you may be simply inspired by looking and feeling better than you did the month before.
I will probably be close to truth when I say that everybody has wanted to get “in shape” at some point in their life, and perhaps made the effort more than once. There is a saying, “If you are tired of starting over – don’t quit”. And although bluntly true, relapses do and will happen, we are not super-human. It is a matter of successfully working through them, keeping the big picture in mind, on your path to making exercise part of your life… for life!
Personal and Small Group Training – Strength/Weight Loss/Conditioning/Mobility
What is your incentive?
What comes with fitness coaching?
For who?
Where?
What is your incentive?
- You may be looking to increase energy level, gain lean strength, lose weight, improve conditioning and get back in shape, or push yourself to the next fitness level.
- You may be thinking of a balanced approach that covers strength, mobility, and cardiovascular training.
- You may be inspired by an energizing fitness cocktail of: interval and “boot camp style” training, dynamic yoga and calisthenics, power circuits and resistance training, core and functional exercise.
- You may want to be guided and learn effective mobility maintenance and self-care techniques for improved flexibility and functional range of motion, and quicker recovery from your resistance training routine or sports performance.
- You may be considering combining the above with professional bodywork, sports massage, and assisted stretching.
TOGETHER, we will develop a customized training program aimed at your specific GOALS, to maximize RESULTS.
What comes with fitness coaching?
- Guidance in setting challenging yet realistic goals
- Fitness and mobility testing
- Working though relapses
- Goal re-evaluation
- Nutritional advice and guidance
- Exercise coherence tips
- Trainer and peer support and motivation
- Accountability
For who?
- Individual (solo)
- Fit with a Friend or Partner (duo)
- Small group (trio up to six)
Where?
At your garage, office, or apartment gym, at the training facility I use in Newbury Park, outdoors at a local park, beach, private or community pool (there is so much more to it than swimming laps!), high school or college stadium that has stairs to climb.. you name it.
In addition to what you may have already in your possession, I have a solid collection of portable fitness and mobility training equipment, so we are set!
Small Group Class “Mobility Therapy”
Mobility work is more than passively stretching (i.e. lengthening) muscles that feel tight!
Stretching as we are used to it, focuses solely on the muscle itself. Mobility is a more all-encompassing practice, to restore your body’s range of motion (ROM), that addresses multiple elements that influence casual day-to-day, and athletic performance. This includes the sliding surfaces (muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia), as well as the joint and motor control necessary to perform a movement correctly. Read my blog, “Flexibility… or mobility?“, to learn why it is time to replace the term ‘flexibility’ with ‘mobility’ in a well-rounded physical training program.
Small group setting allows for individualized approach and work with precision.
You will :
- Work on counterbalancing your habitual positions and lifestyle/work postural demands, which are leading to movement dysfunction.
- Improve your functional ROM and kinesthetic awareness (motor control).
- Build a solid foundation for your strength training program, and work on recovery.
- Know why it is important to do more than just passive yoga poses as too much of this can actually lead to injury.
- Learn proper alignment of the important therapy poses.
- Become aware of possible compensatory muscle recruitment that can lead to injury.
- Hear about muscle interactions and myofascial connections, and get to know your body better.
What We Do
- Dynamic, yoga based mobility flow
- Trigger point work and self-myofascial release – ‘foam’ rolling, neck traction, and other individual techniques for maintenance, recovery, injury prevention, self-care, or enhanced athletic performance
- Use of Hypervolt – high frequency percussion massage therapy
- Learn effective resistance stretching routines – last say on the stretching arena!
- Interactive partner work – assisted stretches, Ashiatsu body walking, Thai therapy, ART active release techniques
- Vacuum cupping
- Education – wellness and mobility tips
Mobility Training For Young Athletes
I am happy to be working with local teams of gifted young Baseball and Softball players, and here’s what we do in our group classes, in addition to strength and agility training:
“Take your game to the next level”
- Yoga-based functional mobility training
- Functional mobility assessment and measurable progress
- Correcting baseball/softball training muscle imbalances and compensations, for enhanced performance and injury prevention
- Focus on thoracic and hip mobility for efficient and safe rotational power
- Dynamic stabilization and strengthening of core
- Develop better body control, balance, flexibility, and active range of motion
- Post strength training recovery
- Self-myofascial work on muscle and joint restrictions – effective foam rolling techniques
- Medical cupping, Ashiatsu (body walking), Hypervolt (deep tissue percussion massage)
- Self-myofascial work on restrictions – effective foam rolling techniques, and use of self-massage tools
- Learn mobility routines using a variety of fitness equipment, and work with partner
- Get educated and learn more about the biomechanics of your body