Exerces and Brain Health: Authors@Google: Dr. John Ratey

This is a great lecture. Really worth your time to listen. Dr. Ratey is the author of the book Spark.  A great read.

Plie Squat for Runners

Monday Motivation: Why Nothing Is Impossible

Power Wheel Review

Here is a sample workout I like to do with the Power Wheel. It's a fun accessory to add to your home gym. This sample routine I find very effective to get some upper body repetitions in while forcing a little core work.

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What's Your Injury List?

At a recent seminar, one of the ideas that struck me was to think of any injuries you have ever had.  Make a list from the time you could remember, till present.  List chronologically.  Here is mine.

6) Split RT eye open.  6 stitches
6) Split LT knee open.  8 stitches
15) Split chin open.  8 stitches
17) Bilateral plantar fasciitis.  Missed all summer of training.  Resolved with orthotics.
College
18)  LT quad contusion.  Missed last 2 football games my freshman year of college football.  Was misdiagnosed.  Once I put heat on it, could start running again.
18) LT ankle sprain grade 3. Was told it had been better if I had broke it.  4 months of rehab.
19) LT hamstring strain (grade2) Missed 5 weeks of indoor track season.
19)  LT calf strain (grade 1) missed 1 meet
19)  LT groin extreme nerve pain.  Could not run over 80%.  Xray, MRI, Bone Scan, all negative.  3 months of rehab. Nothing resolved.  First experience with a chiropractor.  Money.  2 treatments and was running again.
20)  LT AC joint separation. Grade 1.  Football.  No time missed.  Just painful.
21)  LT hip pointer.  Could barely walk for two weeks.  Missed one football game senior year.  New respect for the IT band.
Palmer Chiropractic
24)  Concussion.  Knocked out.  Playing Rugby. Missed 2 weeks.  First head trauma.  Ever since have had worse brain freeze headaches.  Sounds funny, but man, those suckers hurt.
25)  LT shoulder dislocation.  Missed two weeks.  Rehab it for 3 months.  Still does not feel the same as my RT shoulder.  I believe there is some ligament laxity.
26) LT AC separation Grade 1 again.   Missed one rugby game.
26)  RT AC separation Grade 3.  Had 14-16mm displacement of the joint.  Was told needed surgery.  Gave up rugby and just rehabbed it.  Not an issue anymore.  Just one giant step defect.
28) LT calf Grade 1 strain.  Final sprint before pushing in a competition.  Missed 2 bobsled competitions.
28)  L5 disc herniation.  Popped while in the bobsled.  Going down the track, felt an internal pop.  Felt like I started to pee my pants.  (I didn't, just the sensation!)  With in 12 hours had extreme sciatica type pain running down my left leg.  Was able to compete for one more competition which was World Championships.  One week later, I had lost LT plantar flexion in my calf.  Lost about an inch in calf size.  Rehabbed it myself over a course of 4 months.
29) LT groin strain.  Missed 3 weeks of training.   Jumping weighted Lunges.
Civilian Life
31)  RT calf tear.  Soleus tear. Pushing a bobsled. (hadn't pushed in two years and was egged on,  EGO got me big time!)  6 months to be able to jog mildly on it.  Still an ongoing issue.
33)  Iliolumbar ligament strain.  Deadlifting while back was already feeling horrible. Severe back spasms.  Could barely move for 5 days.
33)  Repair of RT elbow. Took out bone chips/spurs/excess growth to try to gain ROM.  Was told it was from years of abuse or possible fracture.  Probably worse off then before the surgery.  More pain, same ROM, less stability.

Now what to do with your list.  Examine what happened and possible reasons why.  Do you go LT, RT, LT as an example?  Do you always hurt the same area?  Is there a time period to your injuries?  Look for clues and patterns that may help you prevent stuff from happening in the future.

My own personal take away, I wished I had been under chiropractic care earlier.  I believe years of squatting in high school and college put pressure on my L5 disc that at times would limit nerve supply to my left side.  I had no muscular pulls or strains while at Palmer under chiropractic care for 3 years.  We played 2 seasons of rugby per year.  6 total seasons, tons of running in and out of season. All injuries were trauma collision type.  After Palmer, I was competing in bobsled, and was again away from chiropractic care.  (my own fault, especially as I was a chiro!)  more and more muscular pulls.  Learn your weakness and shore them up.  Look for clues that can help prevent further set backs.  Good luck.

What is Pandiculation

This past weekend I was at a Muscle Activation seminar. I will address that at a later date. Before though, in preparation, I was reviewing some material by Thomas Hanna, author of Somatics. He talks of the pandicular response.

Pandiculation is basically combining a contraction type stretch with a yawn. Animals do this instinctively. Below is a video of my dog Rocco giving a great example before he heads outside.

There are a few interesting ideas on why this is an important reflex. Resets the length of muscles, restores some fascial function, redistribute free water in the extracellular matrix, which helps stabilize joints.

So when you get out of bed, reach up, contract, open your mouth and yawn. Think of all the great things you are doing for your body.

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Monday Motivation: Mike Tyson's Words Of Wisdom