8 Basic Principles of Human Movement

By: Kyle Boland

Recently, I was fortunate enough to travel to Prague to study DNS in its place of origin. I had the opportunity to shadow physiotherapists in the hospital and was able to observe them apply their techniques to actual patients in real time, seeing their thought processes play out.

I then traveled north to a small village for seven days of Part 1 and Part 2 of a course combining Iyengar yoga techniques with DNS concepts and rehabilitation methods. Needless to say, it was a great deal of information and very beneficial. Not just in what I learned, but how I felt! I honestly cannot remember a time when my body felt so good. With seven straight days of yoga and DNS rehab, I can’t really be too surprised. It has been fun to apply what I’ve learned since I have returned to clinic, and I have plenty of notes and videos to revisit as time goes on and I need to refresh. (1 entire iPad wasn’t enough storage to capture all the videos.)

The course instructors were Martina Jezkova, a physiotherapist and DNS instructor from Prague, and Dr. Clive Farrelly, a chiropractor and yoga expert from Australia. They combined their extensive knowledge to deliver outstanding information from two different backgrounds. Throughout both courses, they highlighted and emphasized eight basic principles of human motion that can literally be applied to anything we do. The following is a brief summary of each principle.

1. Respiratory Pattern

This is something we have talked about extensively in previous blog posts (part 1, part 2, and part 3) and various public presentations. Basically, you need to breathe with your diaphragm. Your abdomen should expand out in a 360-degree fashion equally to all sides. You should be breathing all the way down to your pelvic floor as if you are blowing up a balloon. The ribs should expand laterally, but not superiorly. Out, not up.

2. Spinal Elongation

Lengthen the spine from the tailbone up through the top of the head. Think of growing tall or as if someone is pulling you from the top of your crown to the ceiling. This elongation doesn’t cause excessive motion or flexion/extension at any spinal segments, it is simply a subtle lengthening of your spine in a neutral position.

3. Stabilization of the Trunk

The trunk is your foundation for movement. Sure, your feet are your literal foundations but you need a stable trunk for proper movement of your spine and extremities. This is why “core” strength is so important. If you don’t have trunk stability, you are putting yourself at risk for injuring other areas as they develop compensation and/or become overworked. Many times, symptoms of an injury manifest away from the root cause. Believe it or not, this can occur anywhere from head to toe. Trunk stabilization is essential for optimal performance.

4. Centration of Joints

Each joint (junction between adjacent bones) needs to be properly centrated. There is an ideal point of contact on the surfaces as the bones move through a particular range of motion. Think of a golf ball on a tee. You want the golf ball centered on the tee rather than up or slightly to the side. Joint centration protects the joint itself and surrounding soft tissue from injury (acute or chronic overuse) and also provides ideal conditions for optimal execution of movement and motor control. This is a great example of the importance of proper form and posture.

5. Isolated Movement

You need the ability to isolate movement in one area of the body separate and distinct from other areas. For example, when raising your arm out to the side, you should be able to isolate that movement to the shoulder without bending your spine to the side or lifting up in the upper trap. Another example is the ability to flex your hip without shifting your pelvis and spine. Compensations occur when there is a lack of movement isolation, and many common ailments (shoulder pain, low back pain, etc.) are the result. One simple shift in the pelvis while flexing the hip may not seem like a big deal, but think about how many times you do that while walking throughout the day… it adds up!

6. Balanced Support

The foundation of a building or house has to be solid and so does yours. You need support for any and all movement. Without it, joint centration and the other principles are just simply not going to occur. You need 4 points of contact of the foot while standing: the medial and lateral balls of the foot, and the medial and lateral aspects of the heel. Due to the majority of your body weight landing directly over your heel, 60/40 weight distribution should be favored to the heels vs. the balls of your feet. Many activities require a different support, such as the hand (pushups, etc.) and they still need a solid foundation and proper balance. Even pressure should be distributed throughout the hand.

7. Relaxation Through Movement and Breath

While performing a particular movement or activity, you obviously need to have muscular contraction to complete the task. The non-involved areas should be relaxed and diaphragmatic breathing should be maintained. This is a work/flow balance. When you complete a task such as swinging a golf club, notice how you contract to come up into your backswing and start to bring it back down, but you are relatively relaxed throughout the time in-between. Then, right before contact you contract again to get some power behind your swing. If you had complete tension throughout the entire process, you would be very rigid and lack fluidity and the outcome wouldn’t be as effective. See: Bruce Lee’s One Inch Punch

8. Body Awareness

You must be conscious and aware of where your body is in space. This allows for better control. Think stability and balance. This body awareness becomes particularly important and more complex when we add in external objects such as barbells, balls, etc.  

Whether you are in the gym, out for a run, driving your car, or merely brushing your teeth, these same principles should be applied to any movement or activity for optimal function.

Perhaps the stakes are a little different when there’s a loaded barbell on your back, but what you practice becomes habit.

How many hours per day are you in the gym or out for a run? Those times are extremely importan,t but think of the hours per day that leaves you NOT doing those activities? Being conscious of and adhering to these principles throughout your daily life will also pay great dividends and provide you with function you didn’t know you had. It’s going to prevent injuries that you won’t even realize because you won’t be suffering from them. It’s going to help you perform better… and you will feel great!

Mobility Monday: Recovering Your Quads, Calves and Feet

The CrossFit Games are here and right down the road from us in La Crosse.  While some of the athletes make it look pretty easy they still have to recover and get ready for the rest of the competition.  Here is a great option for getting your quads, calves and feet back in the game after any type of workout that gets them fired up (which can be so many things).  Check it out.

Things It Helps:
-Quad soreness
-General knee pain
-Improving foot mobility

Friday Food: Paleo Blueberry Scones

The CrossFit games are coming to Wisconsin and with paleo being very much tied into the CrossFit culture we wanted to find something that would be a sweet snack and give you some energy.  We found this one and thought it would be the perfect item to use for that snack.  Blueberry scones, sounds good going with some Caveman Coffee and just chilling on the weekend.  Check out the recipe below and enjoy.

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups Cashews
-1/4 cup Arrowroot
-Pinch of Salt
-1 tsp Baking Powder
-1 cup fresh Blueberries
-1/4 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-3 tbsp Maple Syrup
-2 tsp Vanilla Extract
-1 Egg

The Game Plan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degF and line a 9 inch metal pan with parchment paper.
2. Blend the cashews in a food processor until powdered.
3. Whisk all the dry ingredients together then stir in the blueberries.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients together then stir into the dry.
5. Pour into the baking pan and bake at 350degF for 30 minutes.
6. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, slice and enjoy.

Chronotypes: What's Your Animal?

By: Joel Luedke

I had never heard the term chronotypes until I started listening more about cycling your sleep and how that combined with travel with sports (cross country mainly) can really affect your performance. Another topic came out of that discussion and it was the ideas of chronotypes.  This is a group of categories that most people fall into and it shows how they might function. 

I had finally figured out for myself that I am not a late night person.  I get to a point and my brain is just fried and I know that nothing else I am doing is going to be retained.  This actually worked out for me in college as I rarely gave up a ton of sleep to 'cram' as I found it just didn't work out well.  For me getting up in the morning allowed for greater productivity and fit my type better. When I heard about chronotypes it peaked my interested on how I fit in.  

The first two are the 'old school' chronotypes that you may have heard of.

Early Bird: This is your typical Type A personality that is up and rolling before the sun comes up and ready to get more things done before most have woken up.  They are most often not the most creative but can definitely organize and get things done.

Night Owl: This is the late night, video gaming, creative, right?  In the traditional couple chronotypes this is the person that typically works better late at night and then sleeps in later the next morning.  This is often a creative but doesn't cover everyone in that category.

Now Dr. Michael Breus has taken chronotyping to the next level and expanded it out to four different groups. Below are the descriptions.

Dr. Michael Breus' 4 Main Chronotypes (aka Sleep Animals)

Bear: The most common (50-55%).  This is the middle of the road chronotype and one that likes to rise and set with the sun.  'Typical' work hours seem to work well for this group.

Lion: This group makes up 15% and is closest to the 'early bird'.  They tend to be Type A and fit in well with running operations of all sorts.  They typically are up and ready to go with the day planned prior to most the world getting up.  This is a go-getter group.

Dolphin: 10% of the population is this group and they tend to struggle with insomnia and other sleep disorders.  While sleep problems are prevalent in this group they tend to also be Type A and driven people but have enough OCD to keep from completely finishing tasks.

Wolf: This last one makes up about 15% of the population and they are the night owls.  More often they are creative types but can also be introverts.  This includes: authors, artists, entrepreneurs and bartenders.

What It All Means:

I think being honest with yourself and knowing where you might fall in these chornotypes can help you figure out how you best function.  If you've constantly been trying to stay up late and be productive and it just never seems to get you where you want to be your body may not be able to handle that timing of the day.  This could help you operate at a higher function throughout the day and ay be the game changer that you need.

Book: The Power of When

LINK: Optimal Performance Podcast

Mobility Monday: The Stability Problems w/ Sitting

We believe in standing and are always constantly looking for better ways to explain why it might be such an important area to focus on.  This is a great look at why it can be so hard to maintain stability in your core while you are sitting.  Kelly Starrett also does a great job giving you some ideas on how you can make up for that as best you can if you are forced to sit in a job all day.  Well worth checking out to make sure you are optimizing your position as much as possible.

What It Helps:
-Sitting Posture
-Loosing Up Your Hips
-Improving Core Work/Strength

Friday Food: Healthy Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of my all time favorites snacks and I never really worried about what was in it.  At that point I was playing a couple sports plus getting a lift in (it didn't really matter what I ate).  Not working out as much as I used to and falling to the dreaded 'slower metabolism' I try and be a little more conscious of what I am putting in and this recipe helps with that while enjoying an old favorite. Check it out.

Ingredients:
-4 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups mashed)
-3/4 cup coconut flour
-5 eggs
-1/4 cup coconut sugar
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp fine sea salt
-1 tsp vanilla extract

*Note: Kelley found putting a little bit of honey into the mixture helps keep the bread moist if it comes out dry at all.

The Game Plan:

1. Preheat the oven to 350degF and line a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.  To the mashed banana, add in the coconut flour, eggs, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and vanilla.  Use a whisk to stir the batter well, breaking up any lumps so a smooth batter is formed.
3. Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake until the center of the loaf has risen and started to crack, feeling firm to the touch, about 45 to 55 minutes.  Cool completely before slicing and serving.
4. Because this loaf is moist, be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for best shelf life.  It should last at least a week when store in the fridge, though you might it all before then.

Resource: Best Every Coconut Flour Banana Bread

Study Spotlight: Ursolic Acid Increases Skeletal Muscle and Brown Fat and What That Means

I had heard about this one through the Tim Ferriss podcast where he interviewed Patrick Arnold (LINK, it is worth the listen) and throughout the entire episode the covered everything but one part caught my attention in particular.  They were talking about Ursolic Acid and how it was turned into a spray in your mouth supplement (think Binaca) and they were getting some incredible results.  Mr. Arnold referenced a study that Steven Kunkel did with the supplement so I thought I would look it up

and have a look for myself and here it is in this Study Spotlight.

What They Did:

This was a mouse study and in it they took a look at mice that consumed a high-fat diet with one group supplementing with ursolic acid while the other group was not.  Both groups of mice were put on diets known to induce obesity and cause additional problems like glucose intolerance and fatty liver disease.

What They Found:

Researchers found that in skeletal muscle urosolic acid increased Akt activity and downstream MRNAs that promote glucose utilization, blood vessel recruitment and autocrine/panacrine IGF-1 signaling.  As a result the ursolic acid increased skeletal muscle mass, fast and slow muscle fiber size,  grip stretch and exercise capacity.  It also increased 'brown fat'.  

What It All Means:

That was a lot in the 'What They Found' so lets break it down.  Art activity in muscle stimulates muscle growth and imparts resistance to obesity, glucose intolerance and fatty liver disease.  With ursolic acid enhancing Akt activity that is a good sign and shows it can help with some of the above mentioned conditions.  Along with the benefits produced in skeletal muscle the increase in brown fat can be beneficial to you as well.  Brown fat is thought to be the 'Good Fat' and can actually help you burn more calories and up your metabolism.  (Tim Ferriss recommends some cold therapy to help enhance the function of brown fat.  Think cold showers.)  All these things can add up to some very simple and easy help to increase your bodies ability to function and burn more fat.

Supplement LINK: Of course it is out of stock but if you are looking again, make sure it is a spray.  Patrick Arnold made it very clear that was important.

Resource: Kunzel, Steven.  Ursolic Acid Increase Skeletal Muscle and Brown Fat and Decreases Diet-Inducded Obesity, Glucose Intolerance and Fatty Liver Disease.

Friday Food: Flourless Crispy Flaxseed Waffles

This one comes to us from our friends at Coulee Health.  I enjoy a waffle as much as anyone but

anytime I can do a recipe just a little bit healthier I seem to enjoy it even more because I don't feel like it is going to throw my day off from the start.  This is a great option and covers almost all dietary restrictions.  Enjoy it this weekend.

Ingredients:

-2 cups roughly ground golden flaxseed

-1 tbsp gluten-free baking powder

-1 tsp sea salt

-5 large eggs

-1/2 cup water

-1/3 cup avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil

-1 tbsp fresh herbs or 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Game Plan

1.  Heat your waffle maker to medium or your desired setting for crisp waffles.
2. Combine flax seeds with baking powder and sea salt in a large bowl.  Whisk to combine fully and set aside.
3. Add eggs, water and oil to the jug of your high-powered blender.  Blend on high for 30 seconds, until foamy.
4. Transfer liquid mixture to the bowl with the flaxseed mixture.
5. Stir with a spatula, just until incorporated.  The mixture will be very fluffy.  Once incorporated, allow to sit for 3 minutes.
6. Add in your fresh herbs or stir in the ground cinnamon.
7. Dive the mixture into 4 servings.  Scoop each; one at a time, onto the preheated waffle maker and close the top.  Cook until it beeps and repeat with remaining batter.
8. Eat immediately or freeze in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks.  Can be frozen and then coated for a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Study Spotlight: Use of Colored Glasses to Help Mitigate Photophobia Symptoms Post-Concussion

By: Joel Luedke

Concussions are a unique and complex injury.  There are so many factors that can play a role as it is an injury to your central operating system that affects how everything works.  In an injury where it is hard to visually see what is injured and how well that injury is healing any advancement in treatment of the symptoms is a great step forward.  In this article we take look at visual symptoms, specifically photophobia.

What They Did: 

Researchers worked with 39 patients that had vision symptoms after suffering a mild-traumatic brain injury.  Using glasses of 1 or more colors researchers then used a penlight to illicit photophobia.  The different colored glasses were tested to see which color provided optimal relief.

What They Found:

The results showed that of the 39 patients with vision symptoms, 76% of them complained of photophobia.  Using the glasses of 1 or more colors resulted in a relief of symptoms by 85%.  The colors they found to provide relief were blue, green, red, and purple.  They found no adverse effects.

What It All Means:

We've talked on the blog before about concussions and limiting screens and things that emit 'blue light' on the frequency spectrum.  You could utilize a program such as f.lux to automatically do it for you (this is a great tool even if you don't have visual symptoms) or even buying amber colored glasses to filter the light out for you as you are watching TV or working on your computer or tablet.

This study is interesting in that they utilized many different colors in looking to help with the photophobia symptoms.  The researchers commented in the article that there needs to be more research on what color might prove to be more effective than others which obviously would prove useful as to not try out many types to see what works best.  The nice part of this treatment is there are options for color glasses that aren't very expensive (see below) and do not block out as much light as sunglasses would (they aren't the most practical for wearing indoors).

With an injury that is still being researched heavily this is a great option for simple yet effective treatment of photophobia symptoms and if that is something you or someone you know is dealing with we recommend giving it a try.

LINK: Bluelight Blocking Glasses
LINK: Sunglasses (make sure to pick the other colors)

Resource: Colored Glasses to Mitigate Photophobia Symptoms Posttraumatic Brain Injury

Cruel Intentions: Are Health MLMs Evil?

By: Joel Luedke

Chances are you have heard of Midline Marketing (MLM) and most likely been approached to participate in one.  If you're in the health and fitness industry almost definitely have been bombarded with them to get in and help people, make money and potentially retire early based on you passive income.....Ok, ok.  Done with any sarcasm.  In most cases MLMs are decent companies that do actually mean well.  Other times, maybe not so much.

Our goal with this article is to take a look at MLMs and look at the pros and cons of them and if you should be getting involved.

What is a MLM?

Often people consider MLMs pyramid schemes where the goal is to sell a specific amount of a particular product and then recruit people to sign up for the selling the same product underneath you and then everyone gets their cut of sales as you continue to sell.  Each company has their own way of how they break down compensation but it typically involves an up front payment (usually an annual fee) to be part of the company.  From there the cost and reimbursement vary greatly company to company.

In the remainder of this article we are going to focus on the companies that provide health related products and services and discuss if they are the best option for utilizing in your own goals of health and fitness.

What Should you Pay for and What Should You Get

This topic go sparked from listening to a podcast talking about health and diet.  The host brought up that they believed when you are looking for help in losing weight (as an example) that often finding someone who puts out the basis of information you need for free is often a source that you can trust.  While that person may have products and supplies that you can purchase if you so choose they do not make it a necessity in order have success using their basic (potentially free) idea.

This is where MLMs can get interesting and also come off a purely profit driven.  Many are based solely around the product and the need to purchase a package of some kind to apply to their diet plan.  This is the plan to attract people with 'cleanses', 'x' number of days challenges and other fast acting programs promising weight loss and feeling better.  Rarely do these companies provide anything free to you ahead of time and it is only after you purchase it.

Whole Food vs. Supplemental

Without getting into a lot of depth on this topic I believe you can't rely on just supplemental foods to truly reach a state of optimal health.  You may get quick results in regards to weight loss in the short term but often holding on to that weight loss is near impossible. While there are often plenty of vitamins and minerals packed into the powders and supplements they are just not enough to replace whole foods and the nutrition they can provide.

Supplements have their place but that is a supplemental role.  They can be utilized to fill in the gaps of nutrition that you might not get through whole food.  Supplements can also be utilized to work your nutrition up to optimal ranges that might not be attainable through eating just food (that would be a lot, I mean a lot of fruits and veggies.  Again, I would caution anything that claims is will fix you with pills and shakes alone or a plan that calls for significant restriction of any basic food.

TAT: The Story with Supplementation

It's All About the Application

Having personally started in a MLM I never felt completely comfortable hard selling the supplements that were provided.  Not being a salesman at heart I felt a sense of guilt trying to 'up sell' anyone to buy more of what I was selling or even reaching out to anyone from out of the blue and seeing if they wanted to improve their fitness.

Moving on past that I found an area that made me feel comfortable selling and that is working through this blog and our podcast Clinically Pressed and providing what we hope to be is good information while not advertising that we sell the related supplements.  If it comes up in conversation I will potentially suggest ideas and thoughts but only in the supplements that I believe will actually help someone and not all the options provided by the company.

This is where I think not all MLMs are evil and full of people looking to earn passive and easy profit. When there is a true base of wanting to help people and providing them with the tools to do that without making is a requirement to purchase hundreds of dollars (or more) of nutrition items, that is a winning combination.  Be careful in your pursuit of quick fixes and anyone selling you nutrition products with little to no background in health and fitness.

*Disclosure: I (Joel) am an Advocare advisor but do not advertise or sell product on a regular basis.  I utilize the discount for personal use and when anyone asks.  It is not a revenue stream for me.

Mobility Monday: Using a Belt (more applicable than you think)

Like the description of the YouTube video using the belt can be very effective in helping you with your heavy lifting, Olympic lifting and/or powerlifting but that isn't all.  We have talked plenty about DNS on this site and working on trying to create intra-abdominal pressure.  This is paramount in the basis of so many things.  Learning to breathe properly can help you control your core and eliminate back pain but it can also increase your ability to generate force output in both your daily life as well and in your performance.  Check it out below.

Things It Helps:
-Creating Intra-abdominal pressure
-Eliminating low back pain
-Increasing power output

Mobility Monday: Engaging Your Diaphragm

This is a little different take on Mobility Monday but it is very important.  The exercise the WOD Doc shows in this is a great way to start trying to get your diaphragm working and turned back on if you haven't used it for years and had been utilizing chest/shoulder breathing more.  We recommend from this one moving on to DNS style breathing and focusing on engaging your core across the entire abdominal area (i.e. sides and back).  Give it a try.

To get more information on your core and breathing through the entire abdomen sign up for the TAT newsletter and we will send you the video for free.  Either sign up on the pop-up or email us at info@totalathletictherapy.com

Things It Helps:
-Proper breathing mechanics
-Increased performance through proper breathing
-Low Back Pain