The Latest...

Sorry for not posting lately. I usually post from my computer at work because we have DSL (as opposed to the snail connection at home out in the boonies). Unfortunately, my work computer decided to have a temper tantrum last week so I've been without a computer for a while. The computer guys keep messing up the computer so we have to keep sending it back.... it's a big mess. Anyway, I'm using a co-workers computer while mine is being fixed up.

The family just joined the Ironwood gym in town. It's the nicest gym in the area and has all sorts of amenities. During the last month I've been searching for a personal trainer to help me regain some strength I lost due to my injury. We finally settled on Ironwood because they have the best trainers and the best price. I interviewed a few of the trainers and decided on trainer Matt Malone because he specializes in rehab cases.

So last week Matt and I started our sessions together. I really like Matt because he's VERY knowledgeable and he's a lot of fun (he kinda' reminds me of Ross on Friends). He advocates Pete Egoscue's method of rehab/physical fitness. Matt even assigned me some homework: read one of Egoscue's books. So I checked one out at the library. It's actually pretty interesting because Egoscue believes that just like food and sleep, your body requires motion, that is, physical exercise as a vital "nutrient". Without movement or motion, your body will begin to suffer, age and deteriorate. But not just any movement will do; you have to do exercises that will engage all muscle groups and stimulate them enough to maintain strength and agility.

The first exercise Matt had me do was stand on a balance board and do squats. He quickly analyzed that I pull to the right side of my body so any exercises that I do won't benefit my entire body, they'll just strengthen my right dominant side. After taking my medical history, Matt surmised that since I broke my left foot when I was about 13 I have favored that side of my body. So the goal of the balance board is to get my left side to work as hard as my right side. Unfortunately, many of the workout machines in the gyms don't allow you to tell whether you're working one side harder than the other.

The Egoscue method focuses on maintaining proper posture and the balance board helps discover imbalances in posture. In fact, Egoscue believes that imbalances in posture cause most of the back/neck/knee, etc. pain people suffer. For example, even if your knees don't hurt you, if they pull inward, that could lead to back pain. The body is intricately tied together and seemingly unrelated things can actually be connected. That's what I love about "alternative" health practitioners, they look at the body as a whole unit, not unrelated systems.

So Matt has me doing all sorts of interesting exercises. And the best thing about him is that he's teaching me a lot of exercises I can do at home so I won't always have to be a member of a gym. Most of the exercises utilize the "Swiss" exercise ball and the balance board. I consider working with Matt part of my education because I'm paying him for knowledge that will benefit me for the rest of my life. In fact, Matt told me that as he looks at all the people working hard in the gym, his trained eye notices that many of them are wasting their time with pointless exercises. It really is beneficial to meet with someone who can help get you on the right track for your specific needs. (I really should go into sales...)

Matt also told me about an interesting guy named Meir Schneider who was born blind and taught himself how to see. I haven't yet read his book but I know he has a video called Yoga for the Eyes. Meir practices a technique called "palming" where you sit in a dark room with your palms over your closed eyes and let your eyes rest. Apparently it's great for relaxing the eyes.

So this is what I've been up to lately. A lot of reading and learning about physical rehabilitation. The interesting thing about gaining knowledge is that the more you learn, the more you realize how very little you know.