Those Darn Shoes and Bad Feet

It is not too often I post links to other blogs, but Lou has a great one today about shoes (click HERE) and I could not have done a better job on the story myself (hehehehe---if you have read any of Lou's work you know I am totally kidding as he is a fantastic writer).

The only thing I would add is that if you do switch to a more minimal type shoe (Nike Frees, Vivos) you NEED to do mobility work on your feet/ankles since you are now really relying on them to move correctly. I do believe this is the best way to go for overall movement health.

It is amazing how many shoulder issues can be helped by mobility work (like Z Health) on the feet and ankles. Sounds crazy, but with each foot strike, that energy (force) has to go somewhere (remember Physics 101--energy is neither created nor destroyed) and it goes "up" your body and normally ends around your face and/or opposite hand/wrist crossing sides at your pelvis.

So if your feet/ankle are hosing this up (see--nice technically terms) with each foot strike, you are screwed (another technical term) for starters and many times all the crazy rehab stuff may only delay the issue. Sometimes the crazy rehab stuff will work, but on a first appointment it is a very rare person that I don't have them do some Z drill for their feet/ankles as part of their "Z Health Homework" I am still working on my feet/ankles now after doing Z for some time, but my feet are much much better now.

For shoes I really like the Nike frees and there are some other good ones out there too. Make sure the ball of the foot AND the HEAL are flexible. The Nike free was one of the only shoes designed by Nike to actually help performance, virtually all of the other ones are more based on marketing and style.

Any comments, let me know!
Mike N

Quick Tip To Fix Your Body and Model Integrity Event

Greetings! Posting has been a little more sparse lately since I have tons of stuff I need to finish up between now and mid June--forms to get my research going, a final in Biostatics, ACSM presentation/hanging out at the end of May, super secret project, etc. Below is a simple and easy to use tip and info for those in MN.

Tip of the Week

Basics exercises are great, but most people are not symmetric and adding only a symmetric load will not "even them out" (eg. fix an asymmetry they have)

Here is a good way to tell---if you do a symmetric exercise (squat, bench, deadlift, etc) and you are ONLY sore on ONE side, you probably have some compensations that need to be checked out very soon. Not only are you at a higher risk for injury, your performance is also suffering. I will save you a whole discussion about fascial loading/winding for another day (sigh of relief). I of course would recommend a Z Health appointment to get it checked out. Click here for info if you are in the Minnesota area HERE

Model Integrity Event this Sunday!

Below is a note from my friend Shannon at Model Integrity about their upcoming event. Mike T Nelson Fitness Consulting is a proud sponsor of Model Integrity so check it out.

Many of you probably know that for the past few months I've been working quite busily on creating a brand new event. This event, designed to give people HONEST information on pursuing the local modeling industry, is coming up next weekend, Sunday April 27th, 2008!

In addition to a FREE session on understanding the local talent market and avoiding industry scams, our Model Integrity event features a local model search (no experience necessary) for ALL AGES. We will be awarding opportunites, such as a kids COVER SHOOT for the Twin Cities
kids Directory and a teen/adult Beauty Shoot for Fresh Focus Skincare, amongst others. All of the prizes and details (location, times, frequently asked questions) can be found online at our website: http://www.modelintegrity.com

If you know someone who may be interested, please kindly pass this info on. :) Thanks all!

Shannon

Z Health Level 4 Update

Greetings from sunny AZ! I am here doing the Z Health Level 4 Cert.

This cert is a little different as it is more therapy based (T Phase). Again, like all Z Health work it is based on ACTIVE mobility work, so it is in essences guided exercise.

Rapid fire, here a just a few things that were covered in the past 2 days. And there are still 2 more days to go!

ALL DETAILS MATTER--this is one thing that I love about Z as it respects how complicated each individual really is. This does not mean that the exercises to fix something are complicated however---big difference.

Your state of inflammation determines the "gain level" your body is set at in response to a stimulus.

"All the body all the time"-Dr. Cobb. This is so true!

It is not just simply joint mobility. When you work on the joints you are affecting things on multiple layers--joint space, blood supply, lymph supply, nerve tension, etc

Z Health is about creating SUPERIOR athletes. If you want average, go somewhere else

The 9S model for an athlete--Speed, Strength, Skill, Sustenance, Suppleness, Stamina, Structure, Spirit, Style and Sprint. This is the basis for Z Health S Phase. The point is that most people only work with athletes in 2-3 areas and you need all 9.

Pain lives in the brain. Pain is a perception of an event

Adrenal fatigue can affect the skin appearance

NEURAL TONE, NEURAL TONE, NEURAL TONE, NEURAL TONE!!

There are basically 3 layers to work in 1) skin 2) superficial 3) deep ---NONE of these require pressure that is remotely painful. Remember that pain has all sorts of bad effects on the nervous system.

Soft tissue work is an ASSESSMENT with the end goal being an increase in function--so you may need soft tissue work, you may need mobility work,etc---end goal is the same

Pain and poor performance are the same thing.

How you breath is of huge importance for shoulder health, body mechanics, on down the line

Endurance athletes are pain management specialists.

Future of pain relief is inflammation and mind/body connection (pain neuro matrix)

Pain is an ACTION SIGNAL

ANY THREAT can be interpreted as pain--from stepping on a nail to your boss, your job etc

Pain does NOT equal injury all the time

Fascia is not that complicated--get over it. It never moves unless other things move. Yes, fascia is EVERYWHERE in the body and very complex, but on a practical level it is still connected to the nervous system

I always wondered why I never saw a trigger point on a cadaver--nervous system is dead.

You have 3L of lymph in your body--this may be important!

Where athletes have swelling can tell you a lot of information

Know your anatomy and main nerves to muscles and how to fix it.

My ride is on the way, so gotta run. Any questions, please post them in the comments.

Rock on
Mike N