Education

Every injury you’ve ever had boils down to one thing: load💧 vs capacity🥛. A guiding principle of working with clients, we use this better understand the cause of pain 😫 and injury and what we can immediately start to address to correct the problem and bounce back. How much “stress” you’re putting on your body versus how much it can handle. Stress itself can come in many forms (physical, mental, emotional, etc.) and when this stress exceeds our ability to heal and recover then that’s when bad things tend to happen. The 🪄 magic🪄 is in the balancing act. Stress🏃‍♀️ + recovery😴 = adaptation💪🏼 We need stress to grow stronger and more resilient. But we also need to recover and ensure we’re not filling up our cups to start “spilling and overflowing.” You may think of injuries as something that happens in the moment. It’s true, they do, but it’s the events, stresses, and training leading up to that injury that tend to be the primary cause. If you injure your back on a Saturday morning🌄, we can’t neglect… ..🛌the lack of sleep you’ve had all week. ..🏋🏻‍♀️the heavy deadlifts you did Friday morning. ..🤧the fact that your kids have been sick and home from school. ..🍟the late evening fast food you’ve been eating cause you’re too tired to cook as a result. These factors pile on one another before 💥BAM💥, all of a sudden your low back is in a spasm and you’re being told it’s “out of alignment.” Nah. There’s much more to the equation here and we wanna make sure we’re leaving no stone unturned. Load vs capacity An important concept to understand and consider.

The knee is the largest joint in the body and it can take A LOT of beating. Because it can take so much beating and it’s so robust it can hide deficits of the hips and ankles. It can take up the slack when the hips and/or ankles aren’t pulling their weight. They can only do that for so long. Eventually, something gives out. If you want your knees to “last” your hips and ankles need to do their jobs.

Sleep is when your body does most of its house keeping and repairs. It’s also when the vast majority of your growth hormone is released aka the hormone responsible for recovery and repair. You can’t supplement your way out of poor sleep hygiene and no massage gun, compression boots, foam roller, or bands can come close to being as beneficial as sleep. If you struggle to recover sleep needs to be your top priority.

What does believing you have “bad genetics” get you? Nothing… Not only does it give you nothing, it robs you of options. When you believe your physical woes are due to the bad knees, backs, shoulders, etc. that run in your family it closes doors of possibilities. Why? If you believe it’s your genetic fate to be in pain you’re far less likely to do something about it. You’re more likely to accept the status quo as the best it can be and never find out if life could be better. The truth is that the vast majority of us are incredibly average. Genetically speaking, it’s unlikely we’ve been sentenced to musculoskeletal pain. Does that mean there aren’t genetic conditions that cause pain and disability? No, those are just the exceptions to the rule which means the odds are low that’s why you or I end up in pain. It’s more likely that we’ve picked up beliefs from our family and society that similar aches and pains across family members means our future is already written. It’s not true. You’re not destined to a life of pain.

Not every doctor and fitness professional share the same values as you. Some will push one methodology or medication while the other will push something else. It’s hard to sift through the conflicting messages and get to the meat of what really matters, so here’s an easy filter. If your goal is longevity; muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness, quality relationships, a wholesome diet, and sufficient sleep are your top priorities. The things you do with your coach and doctor should support them, if they don’t it’s time to course correct.

Muscle is the “organ of longevity” as @drgabriellelyon puts it and we wholeheartedly agree. It doesn’t just keep you active and independent it keeps your brain safe. Your muscles release brain protective compounds when they contract and the more muscle you have to use the more of those compounds get released into your bloodstream and protect your cognitive health. Strength matters. Muscle matters. Go build some.

Strip away the stereotypes of a midlife crisis. Get rid of the images of convertibles and botox and what do you have? You have deep seated fear of loss. Loss of youth. Loss of status. Loss of opportunity. We get wrapped up in the surface "losses" like having wrinkle free skin or a fast car while the real losses sneak up on us. Loss of independence. Loss of physical freedom. Loss of the ability to live life confidently in our bodies. Don't get distracted by things of little consequence. You only have one body... take care of it.

It’s not just about fitness, and it never has been. Few people want to get fit “for the fun of it.” They want to get fit because they’ve either lost access to something important in their lives or they want to gain access to it for the first time. They want to move confidently in their body regardless of the environment. They want to be there for their loved ones when they need a shoulder to lean on (literally and metaphorically.) They want to stop compromising due to pain, lack of confidence, and strength. They want to live lives of freedom. My job is to make that happen, and that requires more than just exercise. It requires client education, so they can make the right decisions when they’re not in the gym. It requires mentorship because this journey will be difficult, and there will be setbacks. I am an Active Life Professional - Candidate, and this is what I do. To learn more about the mission of Active Life check out the link in my story.

Looking and feeling young are at the top of most people's list as they get older. Oftentimes, it's not even a vanity thing, we just want to live youthful vibrant lives as we age and that's hard when you don't feel good about how you look or your body performs. The cosmetic industry has capitalized on this common desire to the tune of multiple billions of dollars every year. If they had a long term solution that would be great, unfortunately their "solutions" quickly fade. Fortunately we have an alternative. Building muscle. If you want to be independent and active for your entire life, you need enough muscle mass to support that kind of lifestyle. Without sufficient muscle mass you expose yourself to increased risk of injuries, chronic diseases, and nuero-cognitive decline. That's not what anyone wants. There's a silver lining too. Muscle looks good. Even if you don't like the "bodybuilder" look, which won't happen by accident by the way, building muscle goes a long way toward improving your appearance. It's not just about the way you look though, it's also about the confidence it provides and how you hold yourself. Muscle matters. Build it.

Mondays can be STRESSFUL. Especially if you’re exhausted from poor sleep over the weekend and you have work and family responsibilities that you have to take care of first thing in the morning. By the time your lunch break hits you might feel like you need to decompress or your head will explode. Society’s current go to for a quick stress fix, or better put, distraction from stress is social media. We get a drip of dopamine and detach from our thoughts. Which is fine occasionally BUT it doesn’t solve the issue of dealing with stress, it puts it off until later and often compounds the discomfort. Walking does the opposite. It decreases symptoms of stress and anxiety and has the added benefits of exercise. (Walking 21 minutes daily decreases your risk of heart disease by 30%.) So next time you reach for your phone to compulsively scroll, break the cycle. Go for a walk.