ENGAGING MUSCLES

Plug In the Appropriate Input: the Human Chain Will Supply the Output

Rick Merriam — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:52:33 +0000

“If the load were always on the muscles, they would fatigue; if it were always on the fascia, they would stretch out. Moving back and forth between the two allows the body to make use of the best characteristics of both. We find that fascial stiffness and elasticity also play a significant role in many ballistic movements of the human body. How far you can throw a stone, how high you can jump, and how long you can run depend not only on the contraction of your muscle fibers, but also to a large degree on how well the elastic recoil properties of your fascial network are supporting these movements.” – Excerpt from The upcoming Third International Fascia Research Congress written by Thomas W. Findley, M.D., PhD

(Biomechanics)

If you are like me, at some point you were told that an athlete should have an ideal balance of mobility and stability.

You were told that you have to have a nice balance of both in order to function optimally.

This ideal then, is fundamental to your ability to function efficiently in all three planes of motion.

(Principles)

This is not a new concept. In fact, it is taught in every anatomy/kinesiology/biomechanics classroom and university throughout the world.

But yet there is this enormous void between what was originally taught in these college courses, and what has been put into practice for decades.

I know it probably sounds like I am making this up, but this is the reality.

I am not asking you, or anybody for that matter, to believe it, but you should at least be aware of it.

Once it enters your prefrontal cortex, I don’t have any control anyway. At the point of entry, it is all up to you, and you alone.

(Curiosity)

The current story is flawed in every sense of the word. And that is a tremendous disservice to you…the consumer/client/patient/athlete.

This is a huge problem throughout all areas of specialization.

(Chiropractic) (Physical Therapy) (Athletic Training) (Massage Therapy)

And it does not stop with you. The thought process is the same in high school sports and college sports. In fact, it even applies to all professional sports.

The March 2012 edition of ESPN The Magazine reported that Major League Baseball teams dished out 2.1 billion dollars to players on the Disabled List over a 4 year period (2007-2011).

(Prevention)

Do I have your attention yet?

It does not matter where and at what level you play, you should function better than you did prior to the injury.

Take a moment to reflect on the previous sentence.

The truth is, you were compensating prior to the pain/injury.

Injuries can be prevented, but you first have to know how to neurologically challenge each muscle to see if it can actually do what every anatomy book says it can do.

(Leverage)

And let’s not forget, you were forced to adapt because of the injury.

Pain is a driver. If you have ever dealt with an injury/setback, you consciously felt like you were compensating, and you were.

During that time, your brain unconsciously drove you into a position(s) where your brain sensed stability/safety. Your brain got you out of harm’s away. It protected you, without you even having to think about it.

It all started when you could no longer adapt. Then you experienced the pain on a conscious level.

When the pain was brought to the forefront of your awareness it was like an alarm sounding off. It was telling you that something is not right with the system(s).

The systems reached a threshold, and pain is the driver for you to do something.

Unfortunately, for athletes, even professional athletes, that something means…run (or play!) through it.

Can you see it?

It never fails. Your brain will always seek out (and find!) stability at a joint.

(Priorities)

Photograph by Kasey Olsen Swieter

It is not only what the specialist does (a technique) in practice that matters, it is the why, how and what they are doing that makes all the difference.

What do I mean?

Asking the question ‘why is this muscle(s) tight?’ is a good start, but it is not enough.

That question has always led the specialists to work on the tight muscle.

Then, within a short period of time, the same muscle(s) tightens up, again.

The question really is dead-on, but the science has shown that we have to lean on the specialist’s old brain, their prehistoric brain, just a little harder in order to make a change long-term, e.g., A habit.

(Leverage)

So, why do the specialists/gurus avoid the answer that is so clear it is almost painful for me to write?

(Curiosity)

The tight muscle(s) is protecting the joint(s) from pain/injury. It will continue to tighten up until somebody (anybody!) provides the motive force.

You and I have deep muscles that are referred to as red fibers/tonic fibers/slow twitch fibers.

Due to their unique make-up (nature) they are also considered to be your anti-gravity muscles. The science tells us that they are capable of sustaining a muscle contraction(s) for long/extended periods of time, e.g., Posture

These muscles are unique in more ways than one. They have more muscle spindles, a type of mechanoreceptor (proprioceptor) that lives within the belly of the muscle(s).

The muscle spindles provide and regulate the neurological stiffness of the muscle, compliments of your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

(Proprioception)

This neurological stiffness is a good thing. (emphasis added)

More muscle spindles equals more potential for stiffness in the neuromuscular/fascial web.

Using the term stiffness probably sounds and feels counter-intuitive to you. It is definitely contrary to what you have heard so many times before, but in reality, it is completely normal.

This is the natural state/environment for the muscles/ligaments/fascia.

(Boing)

I know this is probably a shock for you. After all, it does go against conventional wisdom.

Interlude:

As a Licensed Massage Therapist, I’m supposed to tell you that you have a tight muscle, a trigger point, and of course you need to stretch everyday.

But that would mean that I would have to lie to you. Since I can not bring myself to do that…I guess I will just have to pass. I’ll leave that story for somebody else.

I will leave that story to the people who are unconsciously being held down, and held back by what Seth Godin refers to as the RESISTANCE in LINCHPIN.

“The truth though, is that doing what you’ve been doing is going to get you what you’ve been getting. If the narrative is getting in the way, if the archetypes you’ve been modeling and the worldview you’ve been nursing no longer match the culture, the economy or your goals, something’s got to give.” — Extending The Narrative by Seth Godin

The truth is, the future is wide open, and it is ready and willing for somebody (anybody!) to discard the old story, the tired story.

(Perspective)

How many different ways can a specialist learn how to address a tight muscle, before they ask an alternative (better!) question?

It is time for a new story. One that is accurate, and gets to the source of your pain/injury.

After all, you are the consumer/client/patient/athlete. (emphasis added)

Ask the specialist this question:

How long will this new range of motion hold?

Holding is the missing link. (emphasis added)

(Leverage)

It is the piece of the puzzle that has been absent for quite sometime. It will certainly bridge the gap with the current model.

In other words you don’t have to revisit the professional building twenty (or thirty!?) times only to feel better than you did after the injury.

(Biomechanics)

In fact, feeling better than you did after the injury is not enough, you should function (perform!) much better than you did before the pain/injury.

And it should hold.

So don’t wait. Go. Ask the specialist this very simple question, “How long will this hold?”

It is so simple, but unfortunately, nobody thinks to ask it.

I think you already know the (obvious!) answer, but what do you have to lose…ask away.

(Curiosity)

Initially, you feel like you have more range of motion, and you do. But it is short- lived because you do not have stability throughout the new range of motion.

You have more joint mobility/flexibility, but you do not have stability throughout the new range of motion.

(Principles)

The muscle(s) will tighten up again, in an attempt to protect the joint. Your brain will lean on the muscles to tighten up every time, without fail.

Here is the major problem: You are not only compensating again…your body is adapting differently.

So, you may (or may not!?) feel better after multiple sessions, but you are not actually functioning better. You just don’t have pain because your brain found a new and more intricate way to adapt in order to protect your joint(s).

The moral of the new story is this:

The tight muscle(s) is the symptom. (emphasis added)

It was the symptom 19 years ago when I first attended a good school for massage therapy, and it still is today.

That is why you, the consumer/client/patient/athlete, continue to come back with the same problems (over and over again!)

Efficiency = Muscles + Ligaments

Optimal Stiffness

In order for the human chain to provide you with more spring, it has to have an optimal stiffness throughout. Otherwise, your foot stays on the ground far too long with every single leg landing.

Photograph provided by Mark Cucuzzella, M.D.

By the way, that is the definition of a running injury. The specialist can call it whatever they see fit, but at the end of the day, it still comes back to the mechanics.

You have probably never felt this optimal stiffness that I am referring to. It is the feeling you get when a muscle is contracting with no hesitation whatsoever.

When you feel it, you will immediately feel/sense the difference in function. In some ways it is difficult to explain, but when you have the opportunity to experience it in your own body, what else can I say but…it just feels right.

We are talking about opposites, right? And, just for the record, both can not be right.

A relaxed muscle is the opposite of a neurologically stiff muscle/ligament.

In order for the human chain to provide more spring, the neuromuscular (fascial) system has to be capable of supplying the optimal stiffness that I am referring to. Then (and only then!) the human chain is much more responsive to the ground, gravity and momentum.

Ultimately, you need this neural drive and no energy leaks to not only avoid injuries, but to excel in sports, and everyday life. That is the goal, and relaxing a tight muscle does not provide that output. Instead, relaxing the tight muscle, releasing a trigger point(s) and stretching leave the chain less responsive, sluggish and less efficient, which of course decreases performance and leaves you at more risk for an injury.

Therefore, focusing on the muscle itself does not allow for the optimal stiffness that I am referring to. Addressing the soft-tissues with static stretching/deep tissue massage and of course a sustained compression to the trigger point(s) are all negative forces.

At least that is the way the muscle perceives it. Your mind, however, thinks that the deep penetration and discomfort from the specialist’s elbow feels good throughout the massage.

I know you will find this very hard to believe, but the science tells us that your mind (brain) is playing tricks on you. If you want to find the answers, all you have to do is look deep in the recesses of your old brain (the more evolved one!).

It is ecstatic and jumping for joy because it enjoys every minute (of every day!) that you do the same thing(s).

Can you see the pattern?

Ultimately, the resistance is winning.

You should know this right up front: Winning is extremely important to the other brain. It loves it when you perform the same stretches and foam roller routine everyday.

Each (and every!) time that you receive the same deep tissue massage to address your tight muscles it sits back and enjoys it just as much as you do.

I know for a fact that it enjoys the experience much more than your neuromuscular (fascial) system.

To change now, would mean doing something different, and that very thought makes you (very!) uncomfortable. Can you feel it? Your muscles are getting tighter just thinking about adding something new. I don’t blame you, nobody likes that feeling of being uncomfortable.

The truth is, your prehistoric brain does not like change. It likes routines, patterns and recipes (protocols!).

Of course, your specialist(s) loves the very same things. After all, they are human too.

There is one enormous difference between you and them though…

You are emotionally invested and willing to pay for something (anything!) that will help with the pain/injury.

That very same emotional investment is the motive force, and it should not be taken lightly.

Routines and protocols don’t require any emotional labor. To keep it plain and simple, they just don’t. It is impossible to provide outstanding performance when the professional/specialist is following a map that is incomplete.

With little to no departure from the normal routine, you can not expect the specialist to reach a level (emotionally!) where they can deliver a considerable amount of creativity, passion and deliberate focus day in and day out.

Neither can you expect the specialist to be able to repeat that time and time again throughout the day, with every single client/patient/athlete that walks through the front door.

Seeing more (and more!) people faster, leads to boredom and ultimately the status quo.

Being bored over an extended period of time will paralyze constructive thinking, rational thought, and most importantly, the focus that is required to do the (important!) work well.

Boredom also stamps out the inspiration to do the work that matters consistently.

Lets face the facts here (and now!). All of these things are vital and necessary to induce change in the current state of an already broken model/system.

In other words, the specialist in the professional building is not the only one that has to change for things to get better.

But in order to erase the old story, it has to start with you. (emphasis added)

(Priorities)

“As more researchers embrace the idea of running as a natural human activity, there’s been a shift away from developing bigger and better orthotics toward instilling better biomechanics. In other words, to figure out how to prevent running injuries, researchers and clinicians are taking the focus off of shoes, braces, and other man-made solutions and seeking answers in the body itself.” – Excerpt from Chasing Down A Better Way To Run by Katie Koch

(Proprioception)

I will leave you with one final thought (okay, maybe 2!), in the form of a question:

How does a relaxed muscle generate enough internal force neurologically, in order to overcome gravity on every single leg landing over many miles, e.g., Running Technique/Posture?

Answer: It can’t. It is simply impossible. (emphasis added)

The muscles/ligaments/fascia have to have the neurological input to react/adapt to the constant changes in your center of mass throughout the day, everyday.

The muscles have to have immediate access to your nervous system in order to contract on demand. If the muscles are relaxed/neurologically inhibited (weak), they are not capable of providing the human chain with your natural elastic energy for recoil.

“Feet don’t just lock and unlock themselves, however. They’re actively controlled by the neuromuscular system. While we all know that ”muscles” equals “strength”, we often forget that “neuro” equals “brain”. Muscles inside the foot don’t just turn on and off at random; they feature precise control from our nervous system. – Excerpt from Are You Ready to Go Minimal? By Mark Cucuzzella and Jay Dicharry

SHIP.

(Art)

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Optimal Stiffness: A Paradigm Shift

Rick Merriam — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:21:54 +0000

Photograph by Natalie Harding

“Energy is the capacity to carry out an action–whether it is moving our limbs or thinking a thought. The various forms of energy are explored in physics and can be described in many different ways, but the essential “ability to do stuff” remains the same. We feel radiant energy when we sit in the sun, we use kinetic energy when we walk on the beach or go for a swim…” –Excerpt from Mindsight by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.

Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton refers to proprioception as nutrition for your feet.

When your foot is in an environment where it can receive more nutrition or neurological input, the entire chain benefits exponentially.

Of course, you will receive extrasensory input just by taking off your shoes.

If that sounds a little weird or extreme to you, here are a couple of alternatives:

Take out the sock liners (inserts) from your shoes and/or remove your socks in order to decrease the distance between the ground and the plantar side of your foot.

(Proprioception)

Efficiency = Muscles + Ligaments

Optimal Stiffness

Take a moment to think about the equation above. Now, think about what happens in practice.

Jaap Van Der Wal is an anatomist. He wrote a thesis in 1998 and it was not published until fairly recently.

Van Der Wal showed that the way we have been dissecting cadavers is limiting our ability to see the synergistic relationship between a muscle(s) and a ligament(s).

The ligament and the muscle are continuous.

You and I can not see the synergistic relationship on the pages in the anatomy books.

The anatomy text is a blueprint (a map!) that is based on a preconceived notion of what should be seen and then dissected in a cadaver lab.

In other words, the lens through which the anatomists, professors and students see the human body stays the same.

(Perspective)

It is like having a map to Boston and the destination is San Francisco.

The truth is, when a muscle can generate enough internal force, it can (and will!) pull on a ligament to create more stability at a joint(s).

The pulling force of the muscle places a tension on the ligament and creates more stability at the joint(s), e.g., The medial longitudinal arch.

(Boing)

Releasing a tight muscle does not allow for that.

Releasing a muscle does not allow the muscle/ligament to generate enough internal force to overcome gravity on every single leg landing, e.g., Runners Knee.

I think a specialist(s) in the professional building just flinched.

(Biomechanics)

Your foot is supposed to have more mobility/flexibility when it first makes contact with the ground.

When your foot is placed in an environment that allows it to utilize its inherent mobility, it can (and will!) adapt to the ground, e.g., Running on the beach.

The fact is, you have more joints throughout your forefoot than you do in your rearfoot.

Landing on your forefoot/midfoot allows for much more joint motion and better shock absorption at initial contact with planet Earth.

(Proprioception)

Now, imagine that your left forefoot and rearfoot are both in contact with the ground and your body naturally has to come over your foot in preparation for the next single leg landing.

Your right leg is swinging through in order for you to advance forward.

The movement of your right leg is driving motion throughout the chain on your left side.

Your left pelvis, thigh, lower leg and foot are all driven by the motion of the swing leg.

Then when your right leg reaches the level of your left lower leg/knee, something truly amazing happens.

(Curiosity)

Your forefoot pronates and your rearfoot supinates at the same time in order to propel you forward.

Take a moment to reflect on what you just read. (emphasis added)

The truth is, your big toe, a component part of your forefoot, is pressing into the ground as your rearfoot is moving away from the ground in order to lock-up or supinate the rearfoot, e.g., Eversion of the calcanues and abduction and lateral rotation of the talus at the subtalor joint.

Plantar Fasciitis then, is the inability of the forefoot to pronate at the same time that the rearfoot is supinating.

I think the specialist(s) in the professional building just flinched, again.

Tomorrow, thousands of people will be told that they are a “pronator” or a “supinator”.

And the truth is, they are pronating and supinating at the same time in different regions of the foot.

*And* that is completely normal. (emphasis added)

The muscle(s) has to be able to generate enough internal force to contract at the right time, in the right plane and at the right joint in order for the human chain to overcome gravity on each and every single leg landing.

Interlude:

Over the last two years I have worked with many runners.

My interest in running and my work with runners all started when things didn’t work out as my wife and I had planned.

You have heard parts of this story before, but I have been wanting to tell this part for a while.

I went from working with injuries at ESPN to fitting shoes at a local family owned running shoe store in Plano, Texas.

What started out as a way to make some income…

became a decision and commitment to give back.

In other words, I had plenty of gratitude for the opportunity that I was presented with and I was determined to pay it forward.

Here is one example…

Sometime last year a young man and his mother came to see me. At some point, the young man was told he “over pronated” (and he did!).

He had been wearing a motion control shoe (a “stability” running shoe with more control) for many years.

Up until recently, he was fine, but then he started to have pain in both feet.

The young man was catching a flight to study abroad the next day. He was very concerned about his feet while he was away and they were looking for answers.

I watched his gait (walking). When his foot collapsed (pronation), his medial malleolus (distal tibia) came very close to touching the ground on both legs!

In order to get an accurate visual in your mind’s eye, try to imagine the inside of your ankle/lower leg hovering over the ground every time your foot makes contact with the ground.

That is what I was seeing.

I worked on the points of attachment (fascia) to create stability throughout his feet and lower legs.

Since he was catching a flight early the next morning, I did not have much time (2 hours). That was my only chance to help the young man.

After working on the muscles that were neurologically inhibited, he walked barefoot and felt no pain.

At that point, I recommended a flexible shoe that would allow his foot to take advantage of the new motion throughout his foot and lower leg.

I also told him to never wear the motion control shoe again.

In my heart, I felt good about the work I did. (emphasis added)

Since he was getting on a plane the next day, I never had any follow-up appointment with the young man.

A few weeks before I left Luke’s Locker, I ran into his parents, and they informed me that his feet have been great.

What is the moral of the story?

Efficiency = Muscles + Ligaments

Optimal Stiffness

(Boing)

“Passion is caring enough about your art that you will do almost anything to give it away, to make it a gift, to change people.” – Seth Godin

SHIP.

(Art)

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Ankle Sprains

Rick Merriam — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:29:44 +0000

Photograph by Natalie Harding

“Sensory neurons kick off the journey along neural pathways from stimulus to response. These pathways end when axons in nerves make synapses onto muscle fibers, which respond to secretion of neurotransmitter by contracting. The coordinated contraction of many fibers causes a muscle to shorten and produce a movement. More generally every one of your muscles is controlled by axons that come from motor neurons.” – Excerpt from CONNECTOME by Sebastian Seung

(Biomechanics)

Muscles rely on the circuits to provide constant neurological feedback that is adequate for the task at hand.

The muscles are the last stop for all of the neural pathways throughout the human chain.

Efficiency = (Muscles + Ligaments)

Optimal Stiffness

The truth is, you and I are not good at remembering facts. We want the answer(s), but we don’t listen for the details.

In other words, we can listen to the story without hearing the details.

A good story will stick. Even when it’s not based on facts.

(Perspective)

Tomorrow, thousands of future specialists will learn that an ankle sprain is a position of plantarflexion at the ankle joint (a hinge joint), and inversion of the calcaneus at the subtalar joint.

The college professor’s message is very clear:

The ankle joint only allows for motion in one plane, e.g., Plantarflexion of the lower leg at the ankle joint is occurring in the sagittal plane.

And the subtalar joint below the level of your ankle joint allows for motion in the remaining two planes, e.g., Inversion of the calcaneus drives the talus into abduction and lateral rotation at the subtalar joint.

*Both* joints are in a position(s) that allows for a tremendous amount of mobility.

In order to prevent an ankle sprain, the muscles have to be able to contract (and react!) at the right time, in the right plane and at the right joint.

The muscles and ligaments have to decelerate, capture the elastic energy, stabilize and accelerate everything against gravity to avoid an ankle sprain, e.g., Pronation.

We are not talking about building a structure from scratch.

The structure is already provided for us. It is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints and a multitude of muscles/ligaments each with their own role(s).

*Your* foot is perfectly capable of supporting itself.

Based on its structure and function, it is capable of being a mobile adapter to planet Earth, e.g., Walking on the beach.

Ligaments and muscles have a synergistic relationship. And together, they are much stronger than the sum of their individual parts.

(Curiosity)

If you cannot visualize the motions, joints and planes etc…

Try to imagine that you are landing with your foot out in front of you and something (anything!) drives you to the outside of your foot upon landing.

Here is an analogy or the example that is most often used: Imagine you step on another player’s foot in a basketball game. Your foot doesn’t have any choice, it has to go out.

That sounds like a recipe for an injury, right?

*Here* is where listening for the details and remembering the facts matters.

Now, imagine you are close to the end of a 50K trail run, you are tired *and* feel fatigue setting in.

Your neuromuscular (fascial) system is gradually tiring and you can feel that your foot is not as quick to respond to the ground, gravity and momentum on every single leg landing.

(Proprioception)

A couple of months ago, you were struggling with an injury and you were looking for answers. The specialist in the professional building recommended more support.

Then you were fitted for a conventional running shoe with a built-up heel.

The built-up heel has a 13mm drop from the rearfoot to the forefoot. Your heel is higher than your forefoot which is not normal (or natural!).

The built-in ramp angle drove your foot, and everything above the level of the ankle joint in the sagittal plane.

There is a 12mm-15mm drop from the rearfoot to the forefoot with a conventional running shoe. This image shows that everything is driven in the sagittal plane.

In order to keep your center of mass over your ankle, you unconsciously found “balance”.

In other words, you compensated. (emphasis added)

That same shoe also has a dense gray bar that can be seen throughout the midsole (cushioning) on the inside of the shoe.

*The* dense gray bar acts like a pebble in your shoe on each and every single leg landing.

Your foundation is not in an environment that allows you to be better, faster and stronger throughout your endurance event.

That stability shoe does not allow you to load your foot in all three planes, e.g., Pronation.

“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.” – Buddha

When the subtalar joint is blocked, your medial longitudinal arch can not flex.

If your arch cannot flex, you can not take advantage of the muscles and ligaments on every single leg landing.

To see how amazing the human foot is, take a moment to watch this very short video from Peter Larson at Runblogger, click here.

Interlude:

There is a huge disconnect between what is being said in the professional building and what is actually happening in function.

Marry that with a confluence of predictable conformity and there is an enormous gap in the current system.

(Principles)

The truth is, you are one awkward step away from rolling your ankle.

In this case, awkward is a relative term since every step is mechanically off and extremely inefficient to begin with.

Choosing to ignore the important role that fascia, muscles, tendons and ligaments play at a joint does not make the beautiful self-organizing and highly adaptable system any less important.

Everything is connected to everything else in more ways than one.

(Biomechanics)

The goal is an optimal stiffness throughout the chain. (emphasis added)

SHIP.

(Art)

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Shifting: And Unstretching

Rick Merriam — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:38:57 +0000

Photograph by Natalie Harding

“The philosopher Meister Eckhart wrote, “If you want the kernel, you must break the shell.” Our shell is often the pain that contains us, the false boundaries that keep us from completely surrendering to the full pleasure of our capacity to live a calling. It’s the pain that gives us the sense that we’re breaking through something–and perhaps letting go and leaving something behind that no longer serves our greater vision.” – Excerpt from Emotional Equations by Chip Conley

(Biomechanics)

Have you ever heard a coach say “You will be okay…just walk it off”?

Imagine that you just rolled your ankle, and you are in a lot of pain. If your elders told you not to question authority for most of your developing years, you most likely trusted the coach *and* did what you were told.

By obeying the coach’s instructions , your brain had no choice in the matter.

*Your* brain rose to the challenge and did what it does naturally (normally!).

It unconsciously did whatever was necessary to protect you and your ankle from further injury.

Your brain knows that it is in complete control of your amazing, self-organizing and highly adaptable system, e.g., Your kinetic chain.

*Your* brain also knows that it will find the most efficient way for you to compensate or “walk it off”.

Eventually, you were capable of running well enough to compete again.

(Curiosity)

I started questioning authority figures *and* gurus very early in my life.

That decision can probably be traced back to my days in high school. I spent most of my high school days in detention or in-school suspension.

Right after I graduated from the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy, my parents encouraged me to get a safe/secure job with benefits.

In other words, do what we did.

The truth is, a full-time job with benefits, *and* all of the other stuff that comes along with that choice, was not right for me then…and it still isn’t.

I chose a different path, and that is why you are reading this right now.

(Perspective)

If I had listened to the naysayers 3 years ago, I would still be in Connecticut with an evil plan not completed, and a life unfulfilled.

Instead, I’m writing this post with both feet flat on the floor in Texas.

Just in case you are wondering if what you have heard is true, it is!

*Everything* is bigger (much bigger!) in Texas.

My feet are even bigger!

It’s true, when I decided to allow my feet to be flat, my feet were free to spread out.

Now, my feet are stronger, more mobile and I can feel much more too.

(Proprioception)

Choosing to “walk it off” doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is.

Choosing to “be practical” doesn’t sound like a big deal either, but trust me…it is.

Chris Guillebeau wrote this about being practical, “Be aware that ‘being practical’ can sometimes be code language used by critics to marginalize your choices of freedom. Never forget that changing the world is not always a practical endeavor.”

If you and I are not more mindful of our choices and decisions every single day, who will be?

Early in my career, I had many colleagues tell me to “keep it simple”.

Translation: Be practical and do as I do.

The code language or underlying message behind “keep it simple” was a driver for me.

It drove me to do better *and* be better–to expect more.

(Priorities)

Choosing fashion over function is a choice, right?

The neuromuscular (fascial) system is an extremely complex and often misunderstood system that we can not afford to ignore.

(Prevention)

*You* can avoid costly surgeries that are neither urgent nor necessary in many (most!) cases, e.g., Bunion Surgery and Plantar Fascia Release.

(Biomechanics)

The choice is yours. (emphasis added)

You can choose to challenge authority by looking for patterns and examining inconsistencies.

Stand guard at the door of your mind, and question the message (and the messenger!) in the professional building.

With consistent and deliberate practice, you will become much more sensitive to the disconnects *and* short comings.

Ultimately, it comes down to a mindset. (emphasis added)

*You* and I are not bound to holding-up the status quo.

There is always an alternative. You just have to ask a different question.

(Ask Why?)

If every anatomy/kinesiology/biomechanics professor throughout the world teaches that efficient function is an ideal balance of mobility/flexibility and stability, where does the stability come from in practical application?

(Principles)

Supination is the ability of the muscles to generate enough internal force to shorten (pull), at the right time, in the right plane and at the right joint in order to overcome gravity (a pull) in all three planes of motion.

To see why so many people have lower back pain, lateral hip pain *and* tight hamstrings, click here.

If you want an example of somebody with the courage to thing big, dominate every single day, and live his dream, click here.

SHIP.

(Art)

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