It’s that time of year again, Christmas in July for me. The Tour de France is happening July 4-26, 2009). With only a few days into racing, the excitement is fantastic. No, not because Lance Armstrong has returned after a three and a half year retirement, but he does add to the action.
To me, I think the Tour de France is the toughest sports event in the world. It requires tremendous individual athletic and mental ability, team unity and skill, and the strategic intelligence of a chess player. It takes place over a three-week period matching the top cyclists against one another as they race through a variety of countries and terrain, including both the Pyrenees and the Alps. Furthermore, most race days during the event are more than one hundred miles.
As an avid cyclist I’ve been a devoted fan of the race for more than two decades, usually watching everyday. I love listening to the expertise and stories shared by the commentators, Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, and Bob Roll (Bobke). Phil has presided over the race for 37 years.
See the riders, legs pumping, and the beautiful scenery ignites the fire within to ride. Never content being a spectator, I enjoy the participation. In fact, in 2003 and 2004, I created my own little Tours (of Vancouver, BC), where I rode a percentage of the distance that the TDF competitors raced each day. I tried to match the terrain to the particular race day. For instance, if it was a mountain stage, I rode in the mountains (of course, not the Alps). If it was a time trial, then I did that, too.
Watching a sporting event, whether the TDF or the World Cup (for me), stimulates the desire to enjoy that sport in reality. What a great way to get motivated! (And, dare I say, it proves that not all television watching causes deterioration of body balance and muscular function.)
Ask: What sport/activity do you enjoy? What motivates you to actually do it?
The key is to find what ignites your passion and use that as a motivator.
Trust me, staying motivated to exercise is essential to maintaining optimal health and well-being.
So, get out there and play!
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Keys to Client Compliance
So often when teaching a course, especially an upper level one, I am asked how to motivate clients to do the exercise programs they are given.
When I meet with a client or patient for the first time I share with them how I operate. Doing MBF® programs is a cooperative venture in that my job is to give the best program I am able and their job is to do it. Also, if he or she encounters any problems or questions, a call to me is quite welcome.
If your client is not interested in this type of cooperative approach, then maybe you should refer them to another practitioner (which I have done on occasion).
Next, it is very critical for you, the practitioner, to be a living example, not just a mouthpiece. By this I mean, you must do your program and get updates on it in efforts to building and improving your quality of life. If you do not, why should your client do their program? Like children, others observe our actions more than our words.
Find out how much time your client is willing to commit to doing an exercise regimen at least five days per week. Then, construct the program to fit that time frame. Realize that there are times when a little more work is required by the client to reach the goal s/he may have. Verbalize this to the person, so they are informed.
Finally, in your initial meeting with your client, take time to find what motivates that person. Is it pain, or rather reduction of pain? Is it increased performance and ease of motion? Is it to be able to simply walk again for three miles? Whatever the case, find it and use it as their motivator.
Find what motivates your client or patient and the key to compliance is yours.
Best in health & well-being.
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
When I meet with a client or patient for the first time I share with them how I operate. Doing MBF® programs is a cooperative venture in that my job is to give the best program I am able and their job is to do it. Also, if he or she encounters any problems or questions, a call to me is quite welcome.
If your client is not interested in this type of cooperative approach, then maybe you should refer them to another practitioner (which I have done on occasion).
Next, it is very critical for you, the practitioner, to be a living example, not just a mouthpiece. By this I mean, you must do your program and get updates on it in efforts to building and improving your quality of life. If you do not, why should your client do their program? Like children, others observe our actions more than our words.
Find out how much time your client is willing to commit to doing an exercise regimen at least five days per week. Then, construct the program to fit that time frame. Realize that there are times when a little more work is required by the client to reach the goal s/he may have. Verbalize this to the person, so they are informed.
Finally, in your initial meeting with your client, take time to find what motivates that person. Is it pain, or rather reduction of pain? Is it increased performance and ease of motion? Is it to be able to simply walk again for three miles? Whatever the case, find it and use it as their motivator.
Find what motivates your client or patient and the key to compliance is yours.
Best in health & well-being.
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Health and Body Movement in the 21st Century
Almost forty years ago, Dr. Ken Cooper, an Air Force researcher, announced his findings about exercise, health, and well-being. The report focused on cardiovascular conditioning and fitness.
These findings were based on studies conducted on thousands of people in and around an Air Force base in Texas. At the time, the information took North America by storm, both among laypersons and medical practitioners, because the results definitively suggested guidelines for cardiovascular health maintenance.
In sum, Dr. Cooper recommended that each person should get three weekly sessions of total body movement (activity), each lasting twenty to thirty minutes. This prescription for CV health was a minimum and became a medical health standard.
Now, in the ever-evolving digital age, and traveling the supertechnological highway of passivity the question is: Is that minimum standard enough?
Unfortunately, my friends, I am sad to report that it isn’t.
Does this mean you should begin your marathon training today?
Fortunately, no.
In years leading up to1986, NASA embarked on a series of longitudinal studies on the effects of inactivity in preparation to understand extended stays in space by cosmonauts. (A few days ago we just witnessed the return of five such spacepersons in the Shuttle Endeavor.) While the full (and horrific) results of the study are too lengthy to include here, please be aware that our sedentary lifestyles (chairs, cars, TV, lack of movement) have led many of us to a very scary place in terms of health and well-being.
Pain and discomfort.
These familiar conditions result from the collapse of human bodily function, which the NASA study predicted. A key factor is the loss of proper alignment of the body in relation to the force of gravity, which works on the body 24 hours a day.
Put simply, the body requires purposeful, functional total body movement (not necessarily cardiovascular) every 24 hours (more frequently for some) or many of the key systems, such as blood flow, immunity, kinesthetic, and muscular balance, begin to decline in function quite dramatically.
In other words, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
So, what are the options?
For health and function of your body in the 21st century, many of you will need to undertake some sort of total body activity for at least one hour per day, possibly two.
I know, a tall order in this super busy day and age.
Here are some hints*:
1) Most important, try to select activities you like.
2) The above time frame does not need to be performed all at the same time. Preferably, increments of 12 to 36 minutes should be undertaken (unless debilitated physical condition).
3) Sample activities: walking, gardening, cycling, tennis, pilates, yoga, swimming (though not load bearing). Ideally, to counteract the NASA findings, movement should be load-bearing.
Whatever you choose, try to make it fun and enjoyable and start slow.
Remember: walking is perhaps the single best activity, if you are able.
“The body is designed for movement” (Overall finding from the NASA studies, according to Sandler and Vernikos, editors.)
*May be wise to see your physician before beginning any exercise regimen.
Resources:
Cooper, M.D., Ken. 1970. Aerobics.
Sandler, H. and J. Vernikos, ed. 1986. Inactivity: Physiological Effects. Orlando: Harcourt and Brace Jovanovich.
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
These findings were based on studies conducted on thousands of people in and around an Air Force base in Texas. At the time, the information took North America by storm, both among laypersons and medical practitioners, because the results definitively suggested guidelines for cardiovascular health maintenance.
In sum, Dr. Cooper recommended that each person should get three weekly sessions of total body movement (activity), each lasting twenty to thirty minutes. This prescription for CV health was a minimum and became a medical health standard.
Now, in the ever-evolving digital age, and traveling the supertechnological highway of passivity the question is: Is that minimum standard enough?
Unfortunately, my friends, I am sad to report that it isn’t.
Does this mean you should begin your marathon training today?
Fortunately, no.
In years leading up to1986, NASA embarked on a series of longitudinal studies on the effects of inactivity in preparation to understand extended stays in space by cosmonauts. (A few days ago we just witnessed the return of five such spacepersons in the Shuttle Endeavor.) While the full (and horrific) results of the study are too lengthy to include here, please be aware that our sedentary lifestyles (chairs, cars, TV, lack of movement) have led many of us to a very scary place in terms of health and well-being.
Pain and discomfort.
These familiar conditions result from the collapse of human bodily function, which the NASA study predicted. A key factor is the loss of proper alignment of the body in relation to the force of gravity, which works on the body 24 hours a day.
Put simply, the body requires purposeful, functional total body movement (not necessarily cardiovascular) every 24 hours (more frequently for some) or many of the key systems, such as blood flow, immunity, kinesthetic, and muscular balance, begin to decline in function quite dramatically.
In other words, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
So, what are the options?
For health and function of your body in the 21st century, many of you will need to undertake some sort of total body activity for at least one hour per day, possibly two.
I know, a tall order in this super busy day and age.
Here are some hints*:
1) Most important, try to select activities you like.
2) The above time frame does not need to be performed all at the same time. Preferably, increments of 12 to 36 minutes should be undertaken (unless debilitated physical condition).
3) Sample activities: walking, gardening, cycling, tennis, pilates, yoga, swimming (though not load bearing). Ideally, to counteract the NASA findings, movement should be load-bearing.
Whatever you choose, try to make it fun and enjoyable and start slow.
Remember: walking is perhaps the single best activity, if you are able.
“The body is designed for movement” (Overall finding from the NASA studies, according to Sandler and Vernikos, editors.)
*May be wise to see your physician before beginning any exercise regimen.
Resources:
Cooper, M.D., Ken. 1970. Aerobics.
Sandler, H. and J. Vernikos, ed. 1986. Inactivity: Physiological Effects. Orlando: Harcourt and Brace Jovanovich.
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Dieting: Nightmare or Solution?
Everyday thousands of people go on or off a diet. There are hundreds of these regulated courses of eating and drinking plans circulating the planet at any one time.
Atkins, Miami Beach, Raw Food (with many variations), High Carb, High Protein, Low Carb, Blood Type. Take your pick. Typically, a new variant surfaces for a time and retains the fad crown until the next great sensation hits the media.
But do they work?
Based on the increasing waistlines in the Western world, especially North America, evidently they do not.
My suggestion for success in the battle of the bulge stems from a multi-layered approach that begins with changing one’s thinking first. Let’s call the alteration of your eating and drinking patterns something other than a diet, which has a negative and short-term connotation.
I like to refer to my culinary habits as the Positive Eating Plan (PEP).
What is a Positive Eating Plan?
It is a regimen that begins in your mind and manifests in your behaviors. The key tenets are vision, ‘positivity’, and choice. Too many diets are based on restriction (negativity) and ‘have-to’s’ and should-based thinking.
I find that true change comes from within. But how does that begin?
Inspiration is a good start. And that can come from within you or from the external world.
Next, comes vision. What is the vision you have for yourself? Your life (including your weight)?
Formulate that answer and your well on your way to transformation.
The mental part begins by realizing that no one has ever accidentally eaten anything.
Yup, that’s right.
Awareness is essential. Every time something enters your mouth, you must be conscious. By being conscious you empower yourself to choose whether to continue to eat or not. Of course, this decision should be based on your previously established (written) vision.
Positive Eating Plans require work on your part. There is no ideal diet for everyone, though many diet promoters would like you to believe otherwise. You must find what foods lead you to the quality of life you desire and envision.
For instance, becoming a raw foodist may be right for cousin John, but not for you.
Quick fixes (aka, diets) to weight issues are usually less than satisfying, both in food selections and results. Most dieters regain the weight lost within a few months because they have not reprogrammed their thinking, thus their embedded behaviors remain in the unconscious.
Does exercise help?
Yes, but exercise alone rarely produces the loss in pounds that people desire. Nevertheless, merely walking is a great way to burn some calories, especially those fat pounds.
Personally, in this day and age, I don’t think you can walk too much (unless such action causes more serious pain). However, build up your endurance slowly. Start with 12 minutes, if you can. Then, simply add 10 percent per week.
Finding the Positive Eating Plan for you may take some investigation and definitely taking responsibility for your dietary health and well-being. There are many resources available for enhancing your nutrition IQ. For instance, Eating Right for Your Blood Type books may offer helpful information to guide you, but should not be seen as the ‘answer’.
Seeking help from a certified Nutritional Counselor is a wise decision, rather than just trying someone else’s idea or the latest celebrity diet. Choose a counselor that is not selling any particular diet or plan.
Remember: honor your uniqueness and find the foods and beverages that make up your Positive Eating Plan.
Try it! Put a little PEP in your step today.
(Resources were purposely not listed for this article, as I didn’t want it to appear as a sales piece.)
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Atkins, Miami Beach, Raw Food (with many variations), High Carb, High Protein, Low Carb, Blood Type. Take your pick. Typically, a new variant surfaces for a time and retains the fad crown until the next great sensation hits the media.
But do they work?
Based on the increasing waistlines in the Western world, especially North America, evidently they do not.
My suggestion for success in the battle of the bulge stems from a multi-layered approach that begins with changing one’s thinking first. Let’s call the alteration of your eating and drinking patterns something other than a diet, which has a negative and short-term connotation.
I like to refer to my culinary habits as the Positive Eating Plan (PEP).
What is a Positive Eating Plan?
It is a regimen that begins in your mind and manifests in your behaviors. The key tenets are vision, ‘positivity’, and choice. Too many diets are based on restriction (negativity) and ‘have-to’s’ and should-based thinking.
I find that true change comes from within. But how does that begin?
Inspiration is a good start. And that can come from within you or from the external world.
Next, comes vision. What is the vision you have for yourself? Your life (including your weight)?
Formulate that answer and your well on your way to transformation.
The mental part begins by realizing that no one has ever accidentally eaten anything.
Yup, that’s right.
Awareness is essential. Every time something enters your mouth, you must be conscious. By being conscious you empower yourself to choose whether to continue to eat or not. Of course, this decision should be based on your previously established (written) vision.
Positive Eating Plans require work on your part. There is no ideal diet for everyone, though many diet promoters would like you to believe otherwise. You must find what foods lead you to the quality of life you desire and envision.
For instance, becoming a raw foodist may be right for cousin John, but not for you.
Quick fixes (aka, diets) to weight issues are usually less than satisfying, both in food selections and results. Most dieters regain the weight lost within a few months because they have not reprogrammed their thinking, thus their embedded behaviors remain in the unconscious.
Does exercise help?
Yes, but exercise alone rarely produces the loss in pounds that people desire. Nevertheless, merely walking is a great way to burn some calories, especially those fat pounds.
Personally, in this day and age, I don’t think you can walk too much (unless such action causes more serious pain). However, build up your endurance slowly. Start with 12 minutes, if you can. Then, simply add 10 percent per week.
Finding the Positive Eating Plan for you may take some investigation and definitely taking responsibility for your dietary health and well-being. There are many resources available for enhancing your nutrition IQ. For instance, Eating Right for Your Blood Type books may offer helpful information to guide you, but should not be seen as the ‘answer’.
Seeking help from a certified Nutritional Counselor is a wise decision, rather than just trying someone else’s idea or the latest celebrity diet. Choose a counselor that is not selling any particular diet or plan.
Remember: honor your uniqueness and find the foods and beverages that make up your Positive Eating Plan.
Try it! Put a little PEP in your step today.
(Resources were purposely not listed for this article, as I didn’t want it to appear as a sales piece.)
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
MBF® Level Four: Beyond the Physical
At long last, after many years of prompting by students, I’ve created another level to the current 80 hours of course instruction in the Muscle Balance and Function Development® education system.
In Level Three we explore deeper into the significance of center of gravity and energetic management, while also looking at how to design functional upper and lower body strength programs based on MBF® principles. More than I care to count I was asked how to tap into the intuition so necessary for great programs and progression. I have often spoke of it in class, but unfortunately could not teach to others what I do in an assessment.
Finally, with the help of a good friend and renowned intuitive consultant, you will be shown how to tap into your intuition. My special guest for the first day and one half will be John Deveraux (www.johndeveraux.com). He will offer attendees a combination of lecture and practices to help turn on or up your intuitive abilities, thus allowing you to read your client’s energetic imprint better and design improved programs, all with less effort.
I am truly pleased with this collaborative effort as it overcomes my personal inability to teach these vital skills. In addition, Level Four will offer further advanced education, including review of difficult cases brought by participants.
The first Level Four class will be offered in the California Bay Area, Fall 2009. Please check the website for upcoming dates and times.
Next: Enhancing Client Compliance
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
In Level Three we explore deeper into the significance of center of gravity and energetic management, while also looking at how to design functional upper and lower body strength programs based on MBF® principles. More than I care to count I was asked how to tap into the intuition so necessary for great programs and progression. I have often spoke of it in class, but unfortunately could not teach to others what I do in an assessment.
Finally, with the help of a good friend and renowned intuitive consultant, you will be shown how to tap into your intuition. My special guest for the first day and one half will be John Deveraux (www.johndeveraux.com). He will offer attendees a combination of lecture and practices to help turn on or up your intuitive abilities, thus allowing you to read your client’s energetic imprint better and design improved programs, all with less effort.
I am truly pleased with this collaborative effort as it overcomes my personal inability to teach these vital skills. In addition, Level Four will offer further advanced education, including review of difficult cases brought by participants.
The first Level Four class will be offered in the California Bay Area, Fall 2009. Please check the website for upcoming dates and times.
Next: Enhancing Client Compliance
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Holiday Gift: Breath
Yogis have said that almost all illnesses can be resolved with breathing. From my personal experience, I have found this to be true over the years, though I have no proof.
Nevertheless, regardless of lack of proof, I do know that without breath, there is no life. Breathing ranks up there in the hierarchy of needs. Most people can go without food for eight weeks, without water for four weeks, but lack of oxygen is much shorter--seven minutes. It is a premium. That seven minutes is all most people get, and even before that portions of the brain would become damaged.
Interesting facts, but how does it factor into overall health and well-being?
Easy.
When under stress, acute or chronic pain, or lack of training, many people breathe shallowly, creating inefficient oxygen supply and delivery to all areas of the body. If prolonged over time, even just a few months, lack of proper oxygenation can lead to deterioration of your health. It can cause health problems, such as headaches, stiffness, and lethargy.
When combined with pain or stress lack of proper breathing can impede your body's ability to get better, in other words: heal thy self.
What does inefficient breathing feel like?
Typically, you are only inhaling air shallowly into your lungs, thus chest-breathing. There might be a feeling of shortness of breath or not being able to "catch" your breath.
How do you correct this?
Diaphragmatic Breathing: Lie on your back (floor or bed) with your knees bent and rest a book (1-2 pounds) or your hands over your navel. Then, as you inhale (slowly) try to fill your belly, thus pushing the book or your hands up. Upon exhale let your belly fall towards your spine. Do this gently without forcing and this will naturally deepen your breathing and better supply oxygen to your system.
Enjoy!!
Take a breath for the holidays.
Happy Holidays to all!
References:
Ramacharaka. Science of Breath.
(Next: MBF® Level IV class: Beyond the Physical: Tapping Your Intuition. Coming Fall 2009; watch for info here!)
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Nevertheless, regardless of lack of proof, I do know that without breath, there is no life. Breathing ranks up there in the hierarchy of needs. Most people can go without food for eight weeks, without water for four weeks, but lack of oxygen is much shorter--seven minutes. It is a premium. That seven minutes is all most people get, and even before that portions of the brain would become damaged.
Interesting facts, but how does it factor into overall health and well-being?
Easy.
When under stress, acute or chronic pain, or lack of training, many people breathe shallowly, creating inefficient oxygen supply and delivery to all areas of the body. If prolonged over time, even just a few months, lack of proper oxygenation can lead to deterioration of your health. It can cause health problems, such as headaches, stiffness, and lethargy.
When combined with pain or stress lack of proper breathing can impede your body's ability to get better, in other words: heal thy self.
What does inefficient breathing feel like?
Typically, you are only inhaling air shallowly into your lungs, thus chest-breathing. There might be a feeling of shortness of breath or not being able to "catch" your breath.
How do you correct this?
Diaphragmatic Breathing: Lie on your back (floor or bed) with your knees bent and rest a book (1-2 pounds) or your hands over your navel. Then, as you inhale (slowly) try to fill your belly, thus pushing the book or your hands up. Upon exhale let your belly fall towards your spine. Do this gently without forcing and this will naturally deepen your breathing and better supply oxygen to your system.
Enjoy!!
Take a breath for the holidays.
Happy Holidays to all!
References:
Ramacharaka. Science of Breath.
(Next: MBF® Level IV class: Beyond the Physical: Tapping Your Intuition. Coming Fall 2009; watch for info here!)
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Cornerstone of Health and Well-being
There is much advice floating around on the web, in magazines, and from friends and colleagues about how to be the more healthy. Much of it may be useful, however a subtle, key ingredient is missing.
Self-responsibility.
It may seem like common sense and it is, if one truly understands the depth required. Within the Muscle Balance and Function Development® education system there are two basic cornerstones that represent the foundation beneath the principle-based system. Self-responsibility is the first and breathing is the second, which will be discussed in an upcoming post.
How does self-responsibility work in relation to your health and well-being?
Simple.
In my experience, it is not possible to improve your health and well-being without choosing to take self-responsibility.
It sounds simple, but let’s delve a little deeper. If you have low back pain and go see your doctor, then on the surface you are being self-responsible (though s/he may not have any idea how to help you).
However, if you are viewing the doctor or any other health care practitioner as the answer to your problem, as opposed to a tool for assistance, then you have relinquished your self-responsibility (and personal power).
And, unfortunately, you will not get better in the long term. True, short-term improvements may be possible.
In the MBF® education system the client is appraised of the importance of self-responsibility at the outset. In essence, the nature of the relationship between MBF® practitioner and client is a partnership. First, the client chooses to do something about an issue. Next, the MBF® practitioner designs the best program possible within the client’s ability to deal with the client’s problem or refers the client to another type of healthcare provider, if need be. Finally, the client chooses to commit to do the program as prescribed.
This scenario is far different then the doctor “fix me” visit. It is imperative to distance yourself from that “victim” mindset.
If you have suffered a trauma of some sort, such as a car accident, then view yourself as a survivor, a warrior that is still alive and breathing.
See yourself as the solution, even if you need to seek assistance from a tool provider, like a hardware store to a builder. Then watch how your life transforms.
Take self-responsibility. Take the first step toward a better and improved you!
(Next blog: Power of Breath)
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
Self-responsibility.
It may seem like common sense and it is, if one truly understands the depth required. Within the Muscle Balance and Function Development® education system there are two basic cornerstones that represent the foundation beneath the principle-based system. Self-responsibility is the first and breathing is the second, which will be discussed in an upcoming post.
How does self-responsibility work in relation to your health and well-being?
Simple.
In my experience, it is not possible to improve your health and well-being without choosing to take self-responsibility.
It sounds simple, but let’s delve a little deeper. If you have low back pain and go see your doctor, then on the surface you are being self-responsible (though s/he may not have any idea how to help you).
However, if you are viewing the doctor or any other health care practitioner as the answer to your problem, as opposed to a tool for assistance, then you have relinquished your self-responsibility (and personal power).
And, unfortunately, you will not get better in the long term. True, short-term improvements may be possible.
In the MBF® education system the client is appraised of the importance of self-responsibility at the outset. In essence, the nature of the relationship between MBF® practitioner and client is a partnership. First, the client chooses to do something about an issue. Next, the MBF® practitioner designs the best program possible within the client’s ability to deal with the client’s problem or refers the client to another type of healthcare provider, if need be. Finally, the client chooses to commit to do the program as prescribed.
This scenario is far different then the doctor “fix me” visit. It is imperative to distance yourself from that “victim” mindset.
If you have suffered a trauma of some sort, such as a car accident, then view yourself as a survivor, a warrior that is still alive and breathing.
See yourself as the solution, even if you need to seek assistance from a tool provider, like a hardware store to a builder. Then watch how your life transforms.
Take self-responsibility. Take the first step toward a better and improved you!
(Next blog: Power of Breath)
www.musclebalancefunction.com
www.geoffreygluckman.com
Technorati Profile
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