Different

Why Precision Fitness is different.

We’re not the get fit quick schemes.

There are no, challenges of the month or weight loss competitions.

Fitness isn’t about short-term results at the risk of long-term health.

It takes time, and a willingness to change your lifestyle.

You have to be willing to take an honest look at your life.

Be open to change what you do every day, your habits and routines will likely need to change.

We’re not the extreme fitness program or trending fitness fad.

We don’t use eye-catching names for our programs or try to sell them with over-hyped nonsense.

It doesn’t take HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) classes; or Cross-Fit.

It doesn’t take superpower yoga or Muscle Confusion or whatever marketing concept they come up with either.

Sure these modalities have their place and time but the biggest changes come from doing the basics over and over again

until they are mastered. (Sports fans does this sound familiar)

It doesn’t take as much as popular belief to make positive changes and be healthy and vibrant.

It takes work and consistency, yes but it doesn’t take the extreme measures you see on social media or the news.

We are “whole-istic” in our approach.

I look at the whole person and what they need to be healthier.

Sometimes it’s more movement or exercises at home, at other times it’s more recovery and relaxation.

Regardless of your goal, it will take better movement and more of it.

But it also takes working with your brain.

Training the brain is training the person in charge of all that you experience and can affect not only fitness, and weight loss but athletic performance as well.

It likely takes some nutritional coaching.

Adjusting for the energy demands you need or tweaking your calorie intake so it works for you and what you desire.

And it takes help with Mindset. 

Coaching you to a more positive approach so that you can sustain the benefit of your training and experience the benefit of your hard work for life.

All of this, is what makes Precision Fitness different.

If you’d like to talk about any of these topics, fill out the questionnaire below and we can schedule a time to discuss what makes us different and if it can be of help to you.

Thank you,

Ed Scaduto

Learn more about our training program here.

FILL In The Form Below To Get Learn More! 

Photo by Charlotte Karlsen on Unsplash

MY STRETCHING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE LIVING

Now that we looked at both the negative and positive side to stretching before workouts, let’s look at what I’ve done myself personally and with my clients.

My goal is to make the warm up and stretching time before your workout the most effective time you’ll spend that day.

Here are my stretching recommendations for high performance living.

OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL:

Prepare your body for movement, while preventing injury and improving performance.

A tall order perhaps but possible if you follow the program in this guide.

HERE’S HOW YOU DO IT

Individualize customize and be precise

You know your body better than any one – regardless of the studies, etc.

You owe it to yourself to experiment one what works best for you.

So try these recommendations and then see what works best.

What helps you get ready, warmed up and ready for action.

I’ll give you my rationale behind each section and see if it makes sense for you.

It’s worked wonders for me and my clients and I know it will help you.

STRETCHING RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE THE WORKOUT

CIRCLES AND CONTROLLED MOBILITY – Mapping both for warming up and injury prevention.

First you want to start with a general warm up.

I recommend light bouncing here as it helps with circulation and gently warms up the body.

You don’t need to jump rope, just lightly lift your heels up and down and relax the body as you do so.

The second part to moving well is mapping out the muscles and joints from a brain standpoint.

Just like when you’re starting a road trip you map out where you’re going, where you may stop, etc., your body needs a map for movement.

This can easily be done by performing circles at the joint(s) you want to work on.

Mapping in this way gives your brain the information it needs about the current tightness or pain in the muscles and joints..

The final part is a big movement that helps with your breathing and circulation.

The vertical chop works a large amount of your muscles and it allows you to breath while pumping blood through out the body.

Inhale as you lift your arms over head and exhale as you lower your arms as you carefully drop into a squat position.

As with every section in this warm-up these are just suggestions, it is by no means an all inclusive list.

My top 3 choices –

1. Light bouncing
2. Circles at all the major joints
3. Vertical chops with breathing

CORRECTIVE EXERCISES – Balancing what is off in your body

Corrective exercises are designed to release tight muscles and activate the ones that need more work.

By doing so, you balance the stress going through the muscles that way there are no sets of muscles that are doing all the work while others are taking breaks.

Take the hip flexors for example.

Often tight on most everyone because of the amount of sitting that we do.

As the hip flexors get tighter it gets more difficult to activate your glutes.

So you want to do stretches that will help lengthen the hip flexors back to normal ranges and drills that will help the glutes get active again.

This corrects the function I in the hip joints allowing you to feel better and increase function for your workout.

Out of all three sections, corrective exercises tend to need more customization.

It is truly based on what you need to correct and balance in your body.

My top 4 choices –

These are based on the common sitting situations most of us find ourselves in.

1. Chest shoulder stretches
2. Shoulder blade squeezes
3. Hip flexor stretch
4. Hip bridges for glutes

DYNAMIC FLEXIBILITY – High performance Stretching

Now that you’ve corrected and mapped some of your joint movements, you’re ready to take the next in getting the body fully prepped.

Our goal is to bring your warm-up to performance level standards.

Enter dynamic stretching, which can be characterized by performing movements that closely resemble what you’ll be doing in your workout or athletic event.

As you’ll see these movements are more complex combining elements of balance, strength, flexibility and power.

Sometimes, in just one movement.

Again this section lends itself to customization more than just following a basic program.

Just keep in mind the movements or sport that you are doing and create dynamic movements that mimic parts of those movements.

As an example, if you’re warming up for tennis you may want to include rotation, side lunges or even both; lunges with rotations.

That way you are using the same muscles and movement patterns as your workout, training, or competition,

My Top 3 Choices:

1. Walking knee hugs
2. Scoops
3. Lunges with vertical and lateral reaches

My second top 3:

1. Jumping jacks or modified side jacks
2. Wall pushups with rotation
3. Barn Doors for hips

Now you’re ready for action!

STRETCHING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LONG HELD STRETCHES

Wait, you might be asking where does long hold type stretching fit?

The more traditional type of stretching where you hold a stretch for 30 seconds or longer is best saved for after workouts.

This type of stretching typically relaxes the muscles and the nervous system. 

So keep this for after training that way you can fully benefit from this type of stretching with out interfering with your work out.

One final thought about stretching –

You can end your training with immediate stretching if you need it.

This is also where long held stretching fits in beautifully.

A second option is to wait a few hours and let your systems cool down and relax more.

All your systems are on overdrive after a workout so it’s so it’s difficult to get the muscles to relax and stretch.

If you just want to improve flexibility then wait a few hours before stretching.

There you have it!

If you follow this guide form top to bottom you’ll have the frame work for optimal stretching and high levels of performance.

Keep Moving!

~Move Well, Live Better~

Ed Scaduto

Precision Fitness

Related Posts for Stretching:

1. 5 Reasons to stretch before your workout

2. 3 Reasons to avoid stretching before your workout

Photo by Alex Shaw on Unsplash

WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID STRTETCHING BEFORE WORKOUTS

Are there some good reasons why you should avoid stretching before workouts?

Of course there is, keep in mind you want to do what’s best for your situation.

That’s why learning more about stretching can help you get the most out of your training.

Let’s start by giving you a couple of reasons to avoid stretching.

IT’S NOT EFFECTIVE:

There was a study done (Pope et al) with over a thousand Military participants.

They took two groups, one that did stretching on a regular basis and one that did not.

The results of the study found no difference in injury rate between the two groups.

TIME CRUNCH:

Most of us are in a time crunch of some kind.

Spending an extra 15-20 minutes stretching to warm up can be difficulty to is hard to fit when you’re already taking time to workout.

It’s easy to see how this can be skipped or done later.

DECREASE IN PERFORMANCE:

Another argument that long duration stretching (static or held position) can relax the muscle tissue instead of preparing it for work.

The relaxing effect of stretching can decrease performance and even lend to unstable joints and thus increasing chance of injuries.

Long held stretches may not be your best option pre-workouts.

STABILITY IS BALANCE OF THE MUSCLES ACROSS A JOINT:

Use caution when it comes to stretching muscles that are always tight.

It’s possibly that you body is using that muscle group to stabilize joint or area of your body.

When you stretch and relax those specific muscles you take away the support for the joint leaving it open to injury.

(This is where it gets a little tricky and you may want to seek professional help.)

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

As you can see, what, how and when you stretch makes all the difference in the results you achieve.

Carefully selecting your stretching exercises for your warm-up can be very beneficial  but if you do the right kind of stretching it can either be detrimental or not helpful at all.

That’s why I have another blog which can provide your further guidance here.

It’s goes over what I’ve created after 30 years of health, fitness and personal training.

Click here to go to the guide.

Move Well, Live Better

Edward Scaduto

Stretching Study above: Pope et al.

Related Posts:

5 Reasons You Need To Stretch Before Your Next Workout

Photo by Michael DeMoya on Unsplash

Here are my 5 reasons you need to stretch before your next workout.

I know your situation is unique but in general, you should do some stretching to help warm up and facilitate muscle action before you get moving.

Mainly it’s because our days are full of long periods of sitting or standing.

Staying in these positions day after day can lead to a host of compensation patterns.

Most obvious are the tight muscles created from shortened ranges and limited use.

Stretching can help your muscles prepare for the workout ahead.

REASONS TO STRETCH BEFORE YOUR NEXT WORKOUT

Muscles Need Functional Range of Motion:

If you look at muscle function from a performance standpoint, a full functional range of motion is required for muscles to work properly.

Limited range of motion not only interferes with your muscle’s ability to move into end ranges but also disrupts the elastic properties of the tissues.

As an example, when you’re throwing a ball you have to wind up and stretch the chest and shoulder muscles before you can whip it forward and throw.

Limited range can also lead to an increased chance of injury.

If you sit for long periods, your hamstrings get very tight.

This limits the range in your hips and knees.

You are forcing your body to compensate by finding range elsewhere like your spine.

This leads to injury and pain in your back.

Muscles Need Good Mapping:

Mapping may be a new concept but it’s basically how the brain knows what, when, where, and how you’re moving your body.

It’s like having Google Maps but for your body.

The more information your muscles and joints feed back to the brain the more comfortable it feels when it comes to moving.

Fortunately, we can quickly map the body as part of your warm-up and stretching program.

Your Body Needs Time To Transition:

You know those sitting and standing positions we talked about earlier?

Well, your body needs time to transition from that type of activity to one where you moving and demanding more from your body.

Stretching provides time to go from all the worries of work, and getting focused now on moving the body correctly.

So these are a few good reasons why you should stretch before activity.

But what about the arguments for not stretching before?

Mind-body connection:

Stretching provides the time and opportunity to connect with the muscles you’re focusing on.

This increases your awareness about how your muscles are feeling.

Are they tight?

Do they not want to move in certain ranges?

Do they hurt when moved in certain ways?

Increase Coordination:

Stretching, especially dynamic flexibility, can improve coordination by ramping up the nerve impulses to the working muscles.

This allows your body to have better control of its complex movements.

Improving both performance and injury prevention.

Plus when done correctly you’re warming up the exact movement patterns you’ll be using during your workout.

WRAPPING IT UP

So these are the reasons you should stretch before working.

Hopefully, it will give you a couple of reasons to stir stretching before.

Now sure about your specific situation?

Don’t worry, I have you covered.

I’ll be writing a post on some of the arguments against stretching. You can read about it here.

I’ll also have a post on what I personally do and what I do when working with my clients.

Until next time, Keep on moving!

Move Well, Live Better

Ed Scaduto

Related Posts:

Three Reasons To Avoid Stretching Before Workouts

Falls result in over 3 million injuries in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations. ~ The National council on aging

In fact, falls are the second leading cause of accidental deaths worldwide.

Preventing falls is a big concern for all of us.

If not you personally, you probably know a family member or friend whose life has been changed because of a fall.

The question of how best to prevent such accidents and increase resilience, so that falls aren’t so devastating needs to be answered.

Fortunately, a good movement program can help you improve the areas that are most important to your balance so that you can decrease your chance of falls.

THE BASICS ARE THE PLACE TO START –

The first place to start is to make sure your physical/fitness attributes are covered.

Mobility –

Starting with mobility, your ability to move through complete ranges of motion is critical for all movements. When it comes to falls, lower body range and neck/spine range should take priority. Make sure you’re stretching your neck, hips, knees, and ankles on a regular basis.

Strength –

Lower-body strength, in all the joints and all the different motions, is critical here. Move your body weight in a variety of squat and lunge positions. Neck and spine strength are essential here as well. Your ability to bring your body back to the correct position and posture relies heavily on your muscle strength.

ENDURANCE –

When it comes to endurance, all the strength in the world isn’t going to help if you get tired. Feeling tired, gasping for air, or fighting fatigue will quickly diminish any sense of control that you have with your movements. Your ability to use your senses and coordinate the complex gets worse the more tired you get.

Making sure you have a good base of training in these areas will help you get started in fall and injury prevention.

Let’s move onto more of the specifics of balance training.

THE BIG 3 FOR BALANCE AND FALL PREVENTION

There are three mechanism or systems that your brain and body uses to keep you balanced and upright.

The following three systems make up our body’s built-in GPS system. They work individually but also together to help us move through the world safely. Keep in mind there is a reflexive level to these systems, they are working below the radar often times very quickly in an effort to keep us safe.

VISUAL –

The visual system may be the top dog when it comes to keeping you upright and balanced. We use our eyes to help us navigate through the world. Vision is a little different than eyesight, It’s how well the brain takes what you see and uses the information to allow for accurate and precise movement.

VESTIBULAR –

Also known as the inner ear, the Vestibular system, is the second part to your body’s natural balance and movement . It helps us see while moving and provides our brain the information it needs to know that your head is level even when you’re twisting or bending forward. It works all the time and has an impact on your entire body as it plays a big role in posture, position and performance.

PROPRIOCEPTION –

This Is the concept of knowing where your body is in space when you’re not looking at it. Proprioception allows us to move in complex patterns so that we can do our daily and recreational activities confidently and gracefully. It may seem like it’s not as important as vision or vestibular but its comparable in how the body needs it to feel safe while moving.

EXERCISES THAT HELP YOU STAY BALANCED AND SAFE –

The following exercise ideas are a great start to working on the 3 main parts of your GPS system. 

VISION – Gaze and then Follow.

One of the most complex eye exercises you can do is gaze fixation. Pick a specific point of detail (on a picture or something outside the window) and keep your focus on that tiny detail for 30 seconds.

The second type of exercise is to follow an object moving through the air in front of you. Try holding a pencil at arms length and make a big circle that your eyes have to follow. Go both directions and give it a try 5 times each way.

VESTIBULAR – Head turns.

Your inner GPS system can be trained by doing neck stretches. Try to rotate (turn) your head to both sides. Then tilt your head (bring your ear to your shoulder). Finish with looking up and down. A couple of key points, try these sitting down first to make sure they won’t cause any dizziness. Let your eyes move along with your head. You can increase the speed of the head turns to increase difficulty. Breathe and relax with each movement.

PROPRIOCEPTION – Feet together and Eyes closed –

Practicing where you are in space can be a challenge. Make sure you are standing by a wall or a sturdy chair when trying these exercises. Safety first. Try keeping your chin level and bring your standing stance together so that you are standing with your feet side by side. Close your eyes and balance. Remember, that at any time you can open your eyes and step out instead of falling. This exercise will help your body understand its position and be able to correct it by returning to a more vertical straight up position.

There are a lot of working parts when it comes to creating an effective fall and injury prevention program.

It’s my hope that this can help you understand how the body works and how using these systems with these exercises can help you stay safe and healthy.

Keep Moving 

Edward Scaduto

Many mornings I wake up and my body and mind scream “No! go back to sleep.”

But the first thing I do (after having a cup of coffee) is start moving.

It’s very slow at first.

I usually start with the foam roller and then do corrective exercises for the core areas.

Then I’ll move on to the brain-based exercises with visual and vestibular drills.

This slowly builds into more challenging exercises that I want to focus on for that day.

How did I go from wanting to go back to sleep to getting up and spending my morning moving?

That’s where the Movement First mindset comes in.


WHAT IS THE MOVEMENT FIRST PHILOSOPHY

It started out as a Paradigm shift.

I needed something more than just exercise to burn calories, or strength training for muscles.

A greater reason to get moving, especially during the mornings when it was difficult to find motivation.

Movement First provided a quick focal point and a reminder of what was most important to my health, fitness, and well-being.

Here’s how it worked for me.

REASONS TO ADOPT THE MOVEMENT FIRST MINDSET

1. Takes the pressure off of having to do an exercise program –

With MOVEMENT FIRST in mind, it removes all the pressure and willpower needed to work out.
I didn’t have to do an exercise program, I just had to move.
I know I’ll slowly improve if I am consistent even if I do just a little every day.

2. Wakes your mind and warms your body –

When we wake, our body needs time to get blood flowing back to our extremities.
The nerves need time to ramp up the signals to the working muscles.
It’s also the perfect time to check your range of motion, to clear any possible areas that may be problematic.
This way you’re prepared for whatever comes your way for the day.

3. Sets the tone for the day –

Movement is where it all starts.
it’s the best way to get you in the right mindset so that you can show up for yourself and others in a way that helps you get things done.
Plus, you start every day with a big WIN.
That in itself makes you feel more accomplished and in a better mindset to take on the rest of the day.

4. Motivation and Consistency –

You’ll need a phrase or mantra to help you at those times when you’re not feeling motivated.
I literally tell myself “Movement First” as a reminder that my mind and body will need movement today to function at an optimal level.
This choice determines how I feel and perform the rest of the day.

5. Movement before fitness and performance –

Before you can be strong, flexible, athletic, or have endurance you must move well.
In fact, anything you’re working on to achieve or obtain you must move well first.
This is because you’ll have to move often (sometimes very often) and if you don’t move well, you’ll get hurt.
Moving well is the priority when it comes to your success.


WRAPPING IT UP

Your body, brain, and nervous system need stimulation from movement to function well.

It needs to work on breathing, moving joints, and contracting muscles.

Your ability to think, create, pursue, and participate in life depends on how often and how well you move.

If you can adopt a Movement First approach you’ll benefit from being more consistent and you’ll be closer to optimizing how you perform each and every day.


ACTION STEP

Get moving early in the day.

Schedule 15 minutes in the morning to work on movement. It doesn’t have to be an exercise program. It can be mobility or stretching. Maybe you want to dance or do some yoga.

Whatever it is you decide to do, go for it and enjoy the benefits of Movement First mindset.

Move Well, Live Better

Edward Scaduto

“The way you move through the world is a direct reflection on how well your brain is functioning” – Dr. Eric Cobb

In every movement that you do, your brain plays a significant role in both how well it’s performed and how much you can do.

The quality and the limit of your movement are largely based on how well your brain is functioning.

Here are a few examples of types of movements and their correlation to brain function –

POSTURE –

Is more a reflexive than conscious effort. You can think about sitting or standing straight but the moment your mind drifts your back to the posture you have molded. So some of it is our habits, how we sit or stand. Most of it is due to our Vestibular (balance), vision, and movement centers in the brain stem.

GAIT –

Walking is our primary source of movement. How often do you think about your walking technique? Luckily your brain takes care of most of it through the locomotion centers, the vestibular (balance) system, the cortex, and the cerebellum (little brain). Any decreases in walking, agility, or running indicate problems within these areas.

FLEXIBILITY –

Flexibility is usually associated with limber muscles that have been stretched through hours of exercise. Our general tonicity (how much tension our muscles carry) is controlled by our brain centers specifically the midbrain. If you’ve tried stretching and didn’t get the desired results, chances are it wasn’t your flexibility program. It was your brain that put the brakes on your progress.

CHRONIC PAIN –

Chronic pain can do a couple of things to our movement. One, pain will limit your capability and desire to participate in activities that you would normally do. Second, it will make you compensate, usually by moving away from the pain. This can cause all sorts of movement issues in the future. Chronic pain is a complex phenomenon but as we understand more about it to understand why the brain creates it in the first place.

This isn’t a complete list of examples.

I just wanted to share a small sample of all that is involved when it comes to our most common movements.

There is still so much more.

ACTION STEP:

One thing we can work on is our posture. Sitting up tall is a great start.

Let’s add a little more to it.

The exercise I want you to try is what we call a neck glide.

Keep your chin level while moving your head back.

Once it’s back try lifting the top of your head (without lifting your chin) towards the ceiling as if it were being pulled by a string attached to the top of your head.

Hold for a few seconds at a time.

This will help you create better posture and better overall movement for your neck.

And possibly help with soreness, muscle aches, and pain.

Do this daily and I know you’ll notice a difference in both your posture and how well your neck feels.

CONCLUSION:

If you do have some difficulty with walking, posture, or chronic pain please seek a Z-Health practitioner near you. You can find the ‘Trainer finder’ here at this site. https://zhealtheducation.com/find-a-trainer/

The trainers listed are trained in functional neurology and can help you improve your movement skills. 

Keep Moving ~
Edward Scaduto
Precision Fitness
Move Well, Live Better

Photo by Pickled Stardust on Unsplash

After 30 years of working with clients, I’ve seen many diets, strategies, theories, and ideas about how to lose weight.

A few have stayed around but many have not.

There is one thing that has stood the test time and that is the concept of managing energy (or calorie) balance by tracking your calories.

This process of weight loss (or weight gain) is all about balancing the calories we consume with the calories that we burn.

Not a new concept but it’s one that is often overlooked or pushed aside for a more popular or trendy diet idea.

However, It is the underlying mechanism of how any diet or strategy works.

When you cut carbs, you cut calories. 

If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.

When we consume more than our body requires we gain weight, usually in the form of fat (stored energy) or muscle (if there is adequate resistance training).

So even if you don’t always track calories or food intake it is at the core of all bodyweight changes.

That is why it is the most effective way to get results.

Here are 4 more reasons you should track your food intake:

Awareness of what you’re eating

By tracking your food intake, you can gain invaluable insight into your eating habits and identify areas where improvements can be made. You may discover that you are consuming too many processed foods or not getting enough protein. When you notice these as patterns you can make the changes necessary to shift your calorie balance in the right direction. Without tracking, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what needs to change or improve.

Accountability

Tracking what you eat promotes accountability. We tend to improve what we track. When you have a detailed record of everything that goes into your body, it’s easier to make better decisions about food choices. This level of accountability can be helpful when resisting temptation or trying to break bad habits.

Small changes are better

Small changes are key when it comes to achieving short and long-term success. Instead of trying to overhaul all your eating habits (and lifestyle), making small adjustments is less overwhelming and more sustainable. If you swap out soda for water or add a serving of vegetables to each meal you can make significant changes without feeling deprived. Tracking your food helps you identify areas where these small changes can be made.

Faster results

The biggest benefit of tracking your food intake is that it leads to immediate results. Seeing positive changes in body weight can provide instant feedback and keep you motivated to continue making healthy choices. When you manage your calorie balance, it only takes a few days before you start feeling better and seeing a difference on the scale.

In my experience whenever you start a diet or nutrition program it’s important to see quick results. 

There’s always resistance when you first start anything. Seeing the scale change provides that big burst of motivation you need to get things rolling.

Yes, habits and lifestyle are essential but they take longer to develop and you won’t see the benefits right away. 

Tracking calories get’s to the heart of the matter, especially when you want to see changes when you step on the scale.

Put your time and focus balancing your calorie intake and you will see results in no time.

EAT WELL, LIVE BETTER

Edward Scaduto

Photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash

Back pain is the most common issue that affects our movement, progress, success, and enjoyment.

It can vary in intensity but at some point, most of us have been sidelined by its painful presence.

It’s estimated that 8 out of 10 people at some point will seek help to remedy their back pain.

My hope with this guide is to give you a better understanding of the complexity of back pain and help you take a few steps that can help alleviate or prevent it from happening to you.

Common causes of WHY we get back pain?

If we can understand more about how our back functions, we can start to find ways to move past the pain and disability.

UNKNOWN – A large portion of back pain cases are classified as idiopathic or of unknown origin. There isn’t an apparent reason the pain exists. That doesn’t mean the pain doesn’t exist, it’s just there is no apparent reason for the pain. In contrast, there is a high percentage of persons with structural changes in the spine that would warrant pain or treatment but have no symptoms, they are asymptomatic. This can mean a couple of things. One possible explanation is structural changes alone don’t necessarily lead to pain. There must be a second or third component that must be added to bring about pain. The other is many undiagnosed back conditions may just be one or two movements away from being seriously hurt.

THE AGING SPINE – Our spine and posture will likely go through some changes as we get older. Our head moves forward and our back starts to round. some of this is due to sitting for longer and longer hours. One thing we do know, the spine has the capacity (when healthy) to move in many ways but as we get older we tend to lose this ability. The spine becomes rigid and gets more and more locked into place. This begins to alter posture placing more stress on the joints and muscles that have compensated for the limitation. Eventually, this can cause permanent changes in the structure and movement of your spine and that can contribute to pain.

THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMELS BACK – When it comes to certain conditions in the spine, like disc bulges and herniations. (when the Nucleus of the spine pushes out on the fibrous ring of the discs and interferes with nerves) It often takes years and years of poor posture, poor training, or lifting techniques that weaken the tissue to a breaking point. Then when you pick up a pencil, that little bending forward was enough to hurt your back. It wasn’t the pencil, it was the years leading up to that event that caused the damage.

SOMETIMES IT’S NOT THE BACK – Sometimes the back isn’t the culprit but the victim. If you have tight leg muscles or have a knee injury chances are you’re compensating for that lack of range and function. Likely, you’re not bending your knees but instead, you’re rounding your spine when you sit down or pick things up. This extra movement for your back is enough to cause serious issues. You may experience back pain and focus your attention there when in fact it’s coming from the dysfunction of your knees. When you help your knees and return to proper movement you’ll take the stress off your back. So sometimes the back may be the one yelling at you but it’s other areas or situations that are the real cause.

Common Dysfunctions of the Spine

The following are conditions that are often seen with back pain. Keep in mind the mere presence of these dysfunctions doesn’t mean you’ll have pain. We know however that your movement will be impaired and the tissue will be more susceptible to injury.

MUSCLE STRESS – Moving furniture, picking a box up at work, or just twisting and bending, if done incorrectly can easily result in muscle strain.  It’s simply a matter of the muscles are not able to withstand the amount of force placed on it. The tissue reaches a breaking point and this results in tissue damage or back pain.

DISC BULGING OR HERNIATION – These are two of the common disc problems. Your discs sit between your vertebrae and they act as shock absorbers. It has a nucleus center like a jelly donut. A bulge is misshaping without the nucleus breaking through the fibers or the jelly is almost pressing out of the donut. A herniation is when it does break through (the jelly is now outside of the donut) and interferes with nerves and the function of your spine.

SPONDYLOLISTHESIS OR SLIPPED DISC – When you have a fracture in part of the vertebrae. This results in an unstable joint and allows for the forward movement of one to discover the other. There is often pain with a certain range of motion. It’s the condition that you sometimes hear as the “slipped disc”. Avoiding movements that cause pain is crucial with this condition. 

What you can do about your back pain?

Keep in mind that back pain is a multi-factorial sensation. We know that structural changes alone aren’t the sole cause, so there must be other factors. Neural, muscular, emotional, and stress also play a significant role.

This goes without saying but I’ll say it anyways. Always consult your Doctor or Physician and follow through with their recommendations. Then take it upon your shoulders to rehab your back so you can minimize the chance of having these problems in the future.

STOP PICKING THE SCAB – Avoid what causes you pain at all costs. This sounds easy but it’s not. We repeatedly do what we love, making it challenging to identify what’s causing or adding to your back pain. Maybe you’re a runner and you know that your back hurts more after a long run. You can just stop running right? Usually, you try and cut back on the running thinking that it will help. When what you need to do is stop running altogether. That way you can fix the real issue(s), and then slowly rehab back to your running.

SETTING EXPECTATIONS – Take a realistic look at what it’s going to take to get pain-free. We all love overnight success and it’s wonderful when that happens. Knowing that there are so many factors to back pain means It’s going to take time and a lot of work. There’s a good chance you will have to make significant changes both to your lifestyle and especially to how you’re moving or exercising.

BREATHING EXERCISES – Your breath is key to properly using your diaphragm and core muscles. As you learn to control it you’ll also increase your spinal movement and stability. This will help you keep your spine from moving in ways it was not meant to be. 

PAYING ATTENTION TO POSTURE – Your position dictates how much stress is going through your joints at any time. Poor posture limits the use of muscles throwing your body off balance and making it difficult to do simple daily movements including breathing. It’s an absolute must that you become aware and place posture at the top of your priority list. It’s been said that posture is where movement begins and ends, so you want to get as close as you can to ideal posture.

STABILITY AND CORE TRAINING – This is where your movement training should start. The core muscles act as your body’s natural weight-lifting belt. Protecting your spine, helping your breath, and allowing for proper movement. Get this first step wrong and your spine is left unprotected. Without proper support, it will be easier to hurt the back and begin the pain experience once again.

CORRECTIVE EXERCISES HELP – There is a lot you can do to help if you’ve had back pain before and are finding it difficult to get back into the activities you enjoy. With proper guidance, you can correct the compensation patterns caused by the pain and restore the proper function of the body. This will increase your ability to move and improve your resiliency to injury. The movement itself can act as a natural pain killer. It can block the threat signals of your body reducing the pain you experience.

As you can see when it comes to your back problems it’s not a simple problem with a simple solution. It’s very much a complex phenomenon. There are many factors to consider and I hope that this guide can give you a little direction as to what to pursue and work on next.

Most of all, I hope it brings you hope, that the pain you’re feeling right now (or in the past) isn’t permanent. You can heal, improve your movement and strengthen your body so you can feel like you’re back to normal once again.

Move Well, Live Better

Ed Scaduto

Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

One of the most important aspects of long-term fitness is the ability to create lifelong habits. It’s common thinking that the celebrity training program, the cutting-edge technology, or the fancy gym equipment is what we need to make it ‘work’ this time around.

But it’s not.

What makes it all work is your habits, by a long shot.

That’s because it’s what you do every day that matters most.

You can have the ideal training template personalized for you, with everything laid out based on your specific metrics of age, height, weight, genetics, etc. We can even throw in state-of-the-art training equipment and facility but its effectiveness is only as good as your ability to do it over and over again.

It’s not the great session that’s done once in a while, but the consistently challenging sessions that create progress.

That’s why if there was one gift I could give you it would be the gift of consistency.

WHY HABITS WILL END YOUR STRUGGLES

Habits are the key that makes everything go. We tend to do them without thinking, giving our brain a chance to work on other tasks or higher-level thinking. And because they are automatic there’s no need to build up a huge amount of willpower or motivation to get something done.

Habits over motivation –

Motivation is nice (when you have it) but it comes and goes and rarely stays around for long. So some days you’ll have it but most days you won’t. That’s where your habits step in. They’re something we do without giving it much thought or energy. Like brushing your teeth after a meal. It’s something you pay little attention to, you just do. Like all behaviors, exercise and eating well can become habits too, providing you more consistency than something like motivation.

Process vs results –

Focusing on results doesn’t lend itself to achieving goals. In most cases, we can’t help but feel some disappointment when we don’t get the results we want; when we want them. Part of being processed focus; is spending our time and energy working on things that are under our control. There is so much we don’t have control over (results are one of them) but we can control how hard we work at creating life-changing habits. This is the process we should invest our time and energy in; the creation of habits. You won’t achieve any results (much less great ones) unless all the habits you need are in place.

System for long-term success –

A system is a set of principles or procedures in which something is done; an organized framework or method. When you’re looking for permanent change, you have to put in place the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. That’s best achieved by creating a cohesive combination of habits like a system. Don’t have a system yet? No problem that’s what this guide is all about. It’s my hope that this guide will help you create a system that works for you. Building a network of habits that helps support not only your health but all aspects of your life for the long game.

THE PROCESS OF HABIT CREATION

Your success at creating a habit depends largely on your awareness and intent to do so. If we go through each day doing only what we’ve always done, we get stuck and continue with the same patterns. That’s because anything we do more than once has a chance of being a habit. This means it’s just as easy (if not easier) to pick up bad ones as it is to make new ones. In order to break free from where you are now and end the struggle of starting programs but not getting results to fully commit to creating a system of habits.

This is where all the work is done, this is what you focus on day in and day out. This is how you do it.

Start small –
Break down any large goal/habit into smaller components when possible. If your new habit is to exercise every day, make it an amount you know you can easily do. Don’t start out with a marathon session, start with just 10 minutes or even less if fitness is a new thing for you. It’s common to be too aggressive and over-ambitious with our habits so much so that creating them just isn’t sustainable.

One at a time –
It’s overwhelming to work on more than one habit at a time. Like juggling. It’’s easier to juggle one ball for a while but if you had two it doesn’t take long before you drop one if not both. Focus on the one habit you want to change, so you can dedicate all of your focus and energy in creating it.

Action-oriented –
Habits are a little different than goals. They are usually action based because they get down to our everyday behaviors. Like prepping for good nutrition, shopping, cooking, stretching, sleep, etc. Everything that you do (or need to do) to help you move forward towards your goals. So get specific with what you need to do and list it out in an action statement. For example, My habit is to write daily for at least 10 minutes, etc.

Anchor it –
It’s much easier to establish a new habit when you anchor it to an existing one. If you’re someone who reads the paper each morning (an established habit) you can anchor your new habit to this. Maybe after you read, you try 5-10 minutes of stretching every morning just to get the blood flowing and the joints moving from a long bout of sitting. Whatever the habit you’re trying to create figure out the best sequence (before or after an established habit) that works best for you. Try to keep it at that same time every day. This greatly increases your chance of creating a new habit.

Make it a daily thing –
When it’s possible try creating a habit that you can work on every day. If you want to be good at anything, you have to work at it every day. Habits work that way as well. As an example, it’s easier to create an exercise habit if you exercise daily. Even though the exercise itself changes it’s something that can be done consistently. For example, you can alternate walking one day and strength training the next. This way you’re doing your bait every day, shortening the time it takes to make it automatic.

GETTING RESULTS

Now that you have a system for creating goals, your next step is to learn to trust the process. It’s not an overnight type of thing. As you can’t decide to lose weight without the habits that support it. Otherwise, you might get short-term results but you’re completely jeopardizing your future. Many have tried diets with good results short term but fail when it’s extended beyond 6 months. Keep your focus on the process and develop a system of habits that help you sustain your progress. Moving more and eating better will just happen for you without much thought or inhuman willpower. The constant struggle goes away, and the longer you do it the more ingrained the habits become until they are a part of you.

Move Well, Live Better

Edward Scaduto

Past content related to this post:

1. Purpose
2. Goals