First, a little background: This is my seventh year as an Essentrics instructor, and my fifteenth year - yes, I said 15 - of following its television version, Classical Stretch. The TV episodes are only 22 minutes in length - 22 minutes to feel great, unlock tight muscles, and relieve joint pain. That’s a daily habit that wasn’t too hard for me to adopt. Even when I take breaks from teaching Essentrics classes, I still do my own daily workout at home. This summer, my teenagers joined a local fitness club. The facility has a teen fitness program that allows them free access for July and August. While my son had workout buddies, my daughter was going to be on her own. So she asked me to join with her. I promptly agreed: daily exercise is an important habit for everyone, and if spending money on a gym membership would keep my daughter physically active, I was willing to pay for the summer months. During our first workout at the gym, I was struck by how many people had less-than-optimal posture, poor form during their workouts, and perpetually contracted muscles which inevitably leads to joint compression - aka pain! Were these people aware that only 22 minutes of dynamic stretching could improve their gym experience? Don’t worry - I resisted the urge to preach the gospel according to Essentrics. But it got me thinking: what would happen if I stopped my daily Essentrics workout and only did a gym-based workout? The American College of Sports Medicine defines 3 fitness components on which individuals can train for optimal health: cardiorespiratory training, resistance training, and flexibility training:
Notice anything about this table? I’ll give you a hint - I highlighted it in yellow. Flexibility training - aka stretching - is recommended daily or almost daily for every population. So, how many people actually follow these recommendations? Judging from the people I was seeing at the gym, I think it’s fair to say “not many”. Since I’ve never been into resistance training, and I was now doing it 3-4 days per week with my daughter, I wondered how my body would fare if I eliminated the flexibility training from my exercise repertoire. Well, I’m a research nerd at heart, so the only logical solution was to run an experiment. Sample size = 1. It’s called a case study, people. I’ve spent enough of my life in the world of research to know the limitations of a single case study, so don’t worry, it’s not being submitted to a peer-reviewed publication. So, in early July, I stopped doing Essentrics and only did cardio and resistance training workouts. What happened to my body with this change in workouts? Well, a lot. Every injury I’ve ever had seemed to resurface - plantar fasciitis in one foot, torn calf muscle in the other leg, severe big toe pain, recurring shoulder pain. When I got out of bed in the morning, I couldn’t put my heel on the ground and I had to walk down the stairs sideways. It reminded me of my pre-Essentrics life and what drove me to daily practice of this program in the first place. I realized I couldn’t continue this experiment on my return to Ottawa. This was a situation where the science was hurting the test subject. I’m still doing cardio and resistance training workouts with my daughter, but first I do my own Essentrics workout at home. For me, it improves my gym workout because I know I’m still rebalancing my body on my own time. Bottom line, Essentrics can and should be a daily habit. Not just for me - for everyone. Daily habits make life more manageable. And Essentrics is a tool for better living. Daily Habits: What are your daily habits? Do you:
These are all great daily habits - do you remember a time when you didn’t do them? Your daily habits are just that: things you do every day without even thinking about it. Reference:
American College of Sports Medicine: ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th ed. (2014) Publishers: Wolters Kluwer; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Photo Sources:
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Essentrics is a full-body program designed to rebalance the entire body through simultaneous stretching and strengthening. When we do the alphabet, we’re focused on rebalancing the hip and leg, and strengthening the leg muscles. It’s a balance exercise - you’re working the standing leg as much as the leg drawing the letters. Essentially, half of the benefits are to the standing leg. Essentrics is a also techniques-based fitness program, and these techniques are present in the Alphabet Sequence. The leg is being rotated within the joint, which improves mobility and range of motion in the often-too-tight hip joint. The leg is pulled out during the sequence - aka an eccentric contraction - which strengthens those leg muscles in the lengthened position. The exercise can be varied, depending on the focus of a workout: a gentler version with fewer letters drawn before switching legs is recommended for older participants, and anyone with balance or mobility issues. With some of my young-at-heart populations, I'll have them hang on to a chair for safety. Being on one leg is still working balance reflexes for them, without the risk of falling. Want to focus more on your quads? Sit on the floor and do the alphabet as part of a quad raiser sequence. Talk about strengthening for the quads! Changing the speed at which you draw the letters can also train your body in different ways - slower movement works the slow twitch muscle fibres. (1) This is great for endurance and energy, as the slow twitch fibres contain the mitochondria, the power sources for your cells. (2) For power and speed, draw the letters faster to activate the fast twitch muscle fibres.
References:
Amanda Sterczyk & Pixabay.com - copyright-free images Hi! My name is Milissa Rush and I live in Grande Prairie, AB. I have been a full time Massage Therapist for seven years and I love it. I've been a body nerd since I was a little girl so I consider myself blessed to have a career that excites and challenges me and also allows me to help other feel better in their bodies. About a year ago I stumbled upon a PBS special featuring Miranda Esmonde-White and her new book, Aging Backwards. She spoke of the Essentrics and Classical Stretch programs and immediately caught my attention with her thoughts on mobility and functional movement being central to slowing the aging process. Her words piqued my interest not only as a RMT but also for my own health and wellness. I immediately popped over to Essentrics.com and within minutes I was ordering the Level 1 instructor package. I knew I had found something special. Over the past year I have earned my Level 1 Instructor certification and am now teaching four classes a week. It has been amazing to me to see the myriad of ways Essentrics has changed not only my body, but also my massage career. For starters, I had been developing my own muscle imbalances after years of a full time practice. My right shoulder girdle, in particular, had become very imbalanced leading to local ache, two to three headaches a week and the occasional acute flare up that would painfully limit my range of motion. My shoulder is now symptom free, I rarely suffer from a headache (and when I do it is usually due to something unrelated to muscle tension) and my body feels stronger than it ever has. In addition, all the active stretching in Essentrics has been powerful in preventing any new fascial adhesions and muscle imbalances. The increased strength and range that I have gained from a regular Essentrics practice allows me to continue to massage as much as I do. Not so long ago I feared I would have to cut back my hours because of the toll it was taking on my body. So clearly, Essentrics has personally impacted me, but it has also drastically changed me as a practitioner as well. When I was completing my Essentrics apprentice hours I drew upon some of my regular massage clientele to come out and let me practice on them. This was the first time I was seeing these people really move their bodies (typically I would only see them move when they were walking into my treatment room or when conducting specific range of motion tests) and was caught off guard by how stiff, unbalanced and unacquainted with their bodies many of them were. I obviously needed to incorporate more active movement into my massage practice, as well as being aware of how much I had been assuming about my clients and their abilities. As these same massage clients continued practicing Essentrics with me we began to see aches and pains that I had been treating diligently were now finally resolving. I had, of course, studied the importance of stretching and strengthening as part of my clients’ home care when I was in school, and I regularly gave people exercises to do at home but never before had I seen these kind of results. I attribute this partly to the fact that clients typically aren't overly compliant with home care, whereas these clients were attending at least one, sometimes two, classes a week. I also give credit to the “full body” approach of Essentrics as opposed to the body part specific style of exercise prescription that I had previously been using. It really shouldn't come as any surprise to us that we need to stop treating body parts in isolation. Our bodies don't move in isolation nor do they heal and repair in isolation.
So, being that I have seen such great results by having my massage clients do Essentrics, should I quit my day job? Does massage therapy still have a valid role in health care? I believe it does, but my reasons why have evolved. Sadly, I feel the relaxation component of Massage Therapy is underrated if not completely disregarded. During times of relaxation our bodies heal and restore, our parasympathetic nervous system takes over decreasing our heart rate and blood pressure and our mind-body awareness is heightened. As our lives get busier it has become more important for us to carve out these moments in time to focus on our bodies in a still, accepting and loving manner allowing the body to enact its own healing and restoration processes. Additionally, Massage Therapy has been shown to be useful in increasing local circulation, decreasing pain responses, decreasing muscle tension and adhesion and reducing stress in general. Human beings are social creatures with an innate desire for touch. It just down right feels good! I do however wish I could require my massage clients practice Essentrics regularly as it would seem that MOVEMENT is the real healer.
Image Sources:
Milissa Rush, RMT, & pixabay.com
If you did choose to make a new year’s resolution this year, don’t feel too badly if it’s already slipped off your radar. Often, people try to pile on multiple resolutions, not even realizing that behaviour change is a challenging endeavour. Even trying to change one bad habit - i.e., do more of x, do less of y - is tough. And let’s be realistic - what’s so special about January 1st that you need to change your entire way of life, so to speak, on that date? It’s a rhetorical question; but the answer is nothing. There’s nothing special about that date. You can choose any moment of any given day to change your behaviour - you’re in control of your behaviour, thoughts, feelings. Please excuse me if that sounds trite, but it’s true. As a fitness instructor, I often hear people’s fitness-related resolutions. Perhaps they’re sharing this with me in the hopes that I’ll validate their behaviour. I love that people want to be physically fit and exercise more, but I hope my approval is not the only thing driving this behaviour. Because it won’t last if it is. Another trite comment coming, so brace yourself. The motivation to keep exercising needs to come from within; it’s called self-motivation, and it’s a key component of sustained behaviour change.
Let’s back up for a moment and talk about behaviour change. It’s a favourite topic of mine. I have 2 degrees in social psychology, so I’ve studied it. A lot. And behaviour change is also a popular topic in the fitness industry: personal trainers need to understand how to motivate people to change. That’s kind of their job. Did I mention I’m studying to be a personal trainer as well? The textbook is fantastic - published by the American College of Sports Medicine. (3) But I digress. I don’t want to bore you with a treatise on the theories of behaviour change. Suffice it to say that my favourite one at the moment is The Small Changes Model. Small is an acronym: Self-selected, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Linked to your life, Long-term. Pretty self-explanatory - you pick goals that you can track and measure, and that make sense in your life over the long term. But don’t think about the long-term; think baby steps. Remember, you need to keep at something to make it a habit. That’s why Classical Stretch/Essentrics always runs a 30-day health challenge at this time of year. Have you seen Classical Stretch, the TV version of an Essentrics workout? It’s 23-minutes long; surely you can commit to 23 minutes once a day. And remember, if you slip and miss a workout, there’s no need to pack it in. Just pick yourself up and get to it the next day. After a month, it’ll probably feel like a habit and you’ll just do it. And, if you are the type of person that needs a date to set your behaviour change plan in motion, next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. That means Lent - giving something up for 40 days until Easter. Perhaps your “give up” could be your sedentary ways, in favour of an active lifestyle. Or just start now. What are you waiting for? References 1. http://www.eattoperform.com/2015/01/04/10-things-the-best-athletes-do-that-you-dont/
2. www.brainyquotes.com 3. American College of Sports Medicine: ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th ed. (2014) Publishers: Wolters Kluwer; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; pp. 194-222.
iHunch/iPostureBut that’s not the only thing adding to our hunched-over appearance. Our increasingly sedentary lifestyle coupled with our tendency towards iPosture is wreaking havoc on our bodies. What’s iPosture, you ask? If you’re hunched over a device, you’ve got iPosture. (1) It’s also been referred to as iHunch by New Zealand physiotherapist, Steve August. (2) Do you remember when a dowager's hump could only be seen on a little old lady? Well, that's no longer the case - thanks to smartphones and other tech devices, the "upper back forward hunch" of the elderly is no longer age-specific. August has been studying and treating the iHunch for 30 years. And this posture isn't just bad for our muscles and joints - it also impacts our mood: "the slouchy, collapsed position we take when using our phones actually makes us less assertive — less likely to stand up for ourselves when the situation calls for it". August and his colleagues found that the smaller the electronic device, the more insidious the effect: "the smaller the device, the more you must contract your body to use it, and the more shrunken and inward your posture, the more submissive you are likely to become." Power PosesPoor posture affects you physically, mentally and emotionally. You’ve heard me talk about the physical effects of iPosture - misalignment in your body that leads to joint pain and weak and/or tight muscles. But did you know that how you hold your body also affects your attitude and self-esteem? If you haven’t seen Amy Cuddy’s seminal 2012 TEDTalk, take a moment to watch it: As Cuddy says, “Two minutes is all you need…Tiny tweaks lead to big changes.” Cuddy and her colleagues had research participants assume “powerful” or “powerless” poses for 2 minutes and they then measured their hormone levels. The results? The hormonal changes in their brain chemistry showed increased confidence and risk-taking for those who had done power poses; while the powerless posers had decreased confidence and risk-taking. In essence, the powerless poses had increased their stress hormone (cortisol) and decreased their risk-taking hormone (testosterone). Defining Power Poses“The high-power poses were both expansive (meaning that the body took up a significant amount of space) and open (meaning that the limbs were held far away from the body), and the low-power poses were constricted and clenched”. (1, p. 199) Power Poses and the Link to ExerciseAmy Cuddy has just published a book called “Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges”, where she delves more deeply into how your body affects your mind. It’s social science meets fitness in a great read: “By adopting open, expansive postures, we make ourselves feel better…more powerful, confident, and assertive, less stressed and anxious, and happier and more optimistic.” (p. 207) Open posture…expansive…this sounds to me like a job for an Essentrics posture fix! According to a recent Fast Company review of the connection between posture and mood, people in slouched positions recall negative traits and powerless feelings about themselves more easily. (4) Conversely, people who are sitting up straight - i.e., with improve posture - more readily recall positive traits and empowering thoughts about themselves. This month’s appearance on Daytime Ottawa was all about improving your posture to improve your mood. Take a look: A 2-minute Essentrics Posture FixIf you don’t have time to watch my latest appearance, I’ll summarize the exercises below:
References
Images courtesy of Pixabay - copyright-free images: https://pixabay.com
What if I told you that an Essentrics Plié sequence could increase your energy at the same time it promotes your brain health? Interested? Intrigued? Then please read on and I’ll explain. First, though, we’ll back up to the microscopic level and have a little biology refresher. Our Cells
Mitochondria - no, it’s not an infectious virus! - are one of these organelles. So what do mitochondria do? I’m glad you asked. Mitochondria are often called the powerhouses or power plants of the cells. They convert fuel, the carbs and fat from the food we eat, into energy for the cells. Every cell in your body contains mitochondria, but the exact number varies by cell type. (2) Your muscle cells contain 95% of the mitochondria in your body. It makes sense when you consider that the role of your muscles is to move your body. Our muscles were created to be strong and our bodies want to move. The only difference between a strong person and a weaker person is what they demand of their muscles. (3) Exercise: The Fountain of YouthWhen we exercise, it not only activates the existing mitochondria in our muscle cells, it also creates new mitochondria. This is called mitochondrial biogenesis. Research has shown that “the greater mitochondrial density in a cell, the greater its vitality.” (4) Vitality - aka youthfulness, or the fountain of youth - isn’t that what most people are craving? Having youthful muscles means lots of mitochondria and a mixture of slow-twitch and fast twitch muscle fibres. (5)
Energy Source & Brain Health: More Mitochondria
So, let’s talk about Essentrics Pliés and how they can help you with your energy levels as well as boost brain activity. Think about your waist-to-knee region: it holds the largest muscles in your body. Your gluteus maximus (aka, your butt) is the largest muscle. The sartorius is the longest muscle - it starts on the outside of the hip, runs across your thigh and wraps around the inside of your knee (aka, the ‘turnout’ muscle). Your hip flexors and extensors are considered “prime movers” because the have the greatest influence on locomotion/ambulation. Essentrics Pliés works the agonist/antagonist muscle groups around the hips. And they give you tons of energy. They feel tough but they work - they will increase energy, strengthen knees and hips, reduce hip and knee pain, increase speed in movement, unlock tight hips, train correct knee alignment, tone the butt/hamstrings/quads, and increase flexibility in the hips. Not to mention create mitochondria in those precious brain cells. Watch this video to learn more about mitochondria and how to do Essentrics Pliés correctly. Here are some guidelines for maximum benefit:
Now, go enjoy yourself during this incredibly busy time of year. And don't forget, if you need a quick boost of energy or you've forgotten where you put your car keys - do a quick Essentrics Plié sequence and all will be good. Happy holidays and Happy New Year! References1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zafJKbMPA8 - Parts of the Cell Rap
2. http://www.britannica.com/science/mitochondrion 3. Miranda Esmonde-White (2014). Aging Backwards: 10 Years Younger and 10 Years Lighter in 30 Minutes a Day. Random House Canada 4. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/how-exercise-can-strengthen-the-brain/?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=TE-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-LBA-092611-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click&_r=4 5. http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/are-aging-muscles-why-youre-tired-all-time-and-gaining-weight?cid=soc_Prevention+Magazine+-+preventionmagazine_FBPAGE_Prevention__ 6. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/stronger-legs-linked-to-better-brain-power-study/article27633067/ 7. https://youtu.be/yWGnjokZDsQ : Essentrics with Amanda on Rogers TV’s Daytime Ottawa, Dec 9, 2015 - Essentrics Pliés for Energy
In Essentrics, we sculpt the muscles and stress the bones but also condition the joints. One distinctive feature about Essentrics is the large, continuous, circular movements throughout the routine. They have roots in tai chi, ballet, and physiotherapy. We feel natural, pleasant, and incredibly good doing them because they work our joints the way the joints should work. Our bones are connected through movable and immovable joints. The joints in our skull, for example, are rigid and immovable. In Essentrics, we are concerned with movable, synovial joints. These joints are filled with fluid to reduce friction, much like oiled engine parts, and defined for specific motions. A typical example is the ball-and-socket joint. It is the most important and powerful type of joint because of its range of motion. Try making a fist with one hand and cup it with the other. The fisted hand can rotate with a great degree of mobility. Our arms and legs connect to the skeleton through ball-and-socket joints, and therefore enjoy a greater range of motion. The top end of the arm bone or humerus, for example, is a ball shape that inserts into the cavity in the scapula, or shoulder blade. We can swing our arms and legs in circles. If we don’t use these ball-and-socket joints to their full capability, if we don’t rotate them sufficiently, deposits will build up and the joints will become rigid. The muscles around the joints work together to make those large, circular motions and will also become stiff from fascia build up. Fascia is the film-like connective tissue that can harden from lack of movement. Joints and mobility are a classic case of “use it or lose it. This explains why those circular movements in Essentrics feel so natural and pleasant. We are moving those joints and the surrounding muscles the way they can and should move. In one of our popular trademark movements “Caribbean Spine,” we rotate the arms and the entire shoulder joint. When we lift our elbows to shoulder height and pull forward we are also stretching and lengthening the upper back muscles such as the trapezius and the rhomboids. When we open and rotate the shoulder backwards we work the pectorals. The motion therefore not only conditions the joints but also improves our posture by increasing flexibility in the upper back and chest. This is the beauty of Essentrics’ economy and efficiency.
When we do the “Clock Kicks” with our legs, we keep the body steady, then isolate, kick and travel one leg around from front to back and vice versa. This is also a simple, powerful, and effective move. Many people find this circular motion challenging because they can’t isolate and lift their legs at all angles. While most have no trouble lifting the leg forward and up, for example, doing so on the side and to the back can cause many to wobble and lose balance. The motion reveals the weakest muscles in the hip and leg areas as well as rebalances them. When we unclog this ball-and-socket joint connecting the legs, we are also improving mobility and enhancing our balance. This is why static stretches and holding poses do relatively little to condition our joints, which need movement. Traditional weight lifting, involving rigid, mechanical motion, stresses bones but doesn’t work the ball-and-socket joints to their full range. Pushups and tricep dips can build and tone muscles quickly but can overload the wrists. Similarly, holding poses such as the downward dog position in yoga can stretch the latissimus dorsi in the lower back as well as the hamstrings in the legs, but can put too much pressure on the compressed wrists. Then there is the question of impact. Certain sports such as tennis and volleyball involve full rotation of the one arm, but not both. Yet the movements also involve hitting a target which impacts the joint.
It’s tIme for another Essentrics with Amanda “Back to Basics” post. This month, let’s talk about working the quad/psoas muscle grouping correctly. Let’s start with the quads. The quadriceps femoris is in fact a group of 4 muscles that are responsible for extending the knee and leg: rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis. Of these, the rectus femoris also flexes the hip joint.
What is commonly called the psoas is actually the iliopsoas. It is comprised of two muscles - the iliacus and the psoas major - that flex the hip joint and the lumbar vertebrae, aka, the lower back.
Weak quad muscles can result in knee pain, while a weak iliopsoas plays a role in low back pain. (1) Check out these descriptions from The Anatomy Coloring Book: “the tendons of iliacus and psoas major converge to a single insertion (iliopsoas). Iliopsoas, a strong flexor of the hip joint, is a powerful flexor of the lumbar vertebrae; a weak psoas may contribute to low back pain.” (p. 42) “Rectus femoris is a strong hip joint flexor, and is the only member of quadriceps to cross that joint. Quadriceps femoris is the only knee extensor. The significance of its role becomes crystal clear to those having experienced a knee injury; the muscles tend to atrophy and weaken rapidly with disuse, and “quad” exercises are essential to maintain structural stability of the joint.” (p. 56) The quad and psoas are important muscles to walking and running, which is why it is vital to maintain their flexibility and strength. While you may not be a runner, you are most certainly in need of these muscles for walking. (2) Many participants have difficulty with the Essentrics standing quad/psoas sequence. I will often hear someone chime in, “I don’t feel anything,” or, “I’m not feeling it there, I’m feeling it in my calf.” When they demonstrate the movement for me after class, I see the problem immediately - incorrect alignment. Body awareness and alignment are fundamental principles of Essentrics that are inextricably linked: “A major part of injury prevention is awareness, the link between the mind and the body. Awareness in ESSENTRICS is the conscious and deliberate alignment of all joints: knees, hips, and spine. Awareness is being sensitive to when a movement feels wrong, feels awkward or is putting an unhealthy strain on muscles. The more aware you are, the better any movement is performed, and the better the results will be.” (3) Take a moment to watch this video about the quad/psoas sequence. Then replay the video while you try it yourself. Try to position yourself in front of a mirror and watch for “popping up” in your body. Do you feel the difference? If not, watch the video again. Trust me - once you feel the difference in your body, you will have an easier time with alignment during class.
Let's make sure you avoid back and knee pain and potential injuries by stretching the proper muscles - i.e., the quad and psoas muscle groups. You'll thank me later. References:
Learning shouldn’t stop when you graduate from high school, college, or university. One of my favourite expressions is, “You learn something new every day.” With our aging population, so many studies are now reporting that learning new things can help stave off the debilitating effects of dementia and Alzheimer disease. How? “By strengthening the connections between parts of your brain…challenging activities strengthen entire networks in the brain.” (1) What’s good for your body is good for your brain: use it or lose it applies to your muscles, and, it seems, also applies to your grey matter. I tried a new activity last month: drawing. My daughter loves to host “drawing parties” with the family. We meet at the dining room table, and she brings out all her fancy drawing paraphernalia - markers, pens, pencil crayons, crayons, varied “how to draw” books, etc. And a colouring book for me. You see, my husband, son, and daughter are all fantastic artists. Me, not so much. I usually get overwhelmed by the process, so she knows that I’d prefer to colour while they create their works of art.
And what about physical activity? How does learning a new fitness routine affect your brain? Well, it helps. A lot. It "improves cognition and helps people perform better on things like planning, scheduling, multitasking and working memory.” (1) Another study reported that improvements in cognitive function, memory and motor skill coordination happen after just 30 minutes of exercise. "One 30-minute session of physical activity can improve the brain’s plasticity, or its ability to change physically, functionally, and chemically. Positive changes in the brain were sustained 15 minutes after exercising.” (2) Which brings me to Essentrics. Have you ever tried it? When people ask me what I do, my response often causes a funny look on their faces. As I begin my elevator pitch of Essentrics, they typically interrupt me with, “Oh, I already do yoga.” One of two things is happening in their brains: 1. they’re misunderstanding what Essentrics is, and jumping to the conclusion that it’s a type of yoga; or 2. they do understand that it’s different but they have no interest in trying something new. Either way, their brains could use a little Essentrics. Don’t get me wrong: I’m always happy to hear that people are active and have a fitness routine. And I know, not everything appeals to everyone. You’ll never see me at a CrossFit gym, but several of my good friends practically live at theirs. That’s cool. BUT, all I ask of non-Essentrics folks is to try it at least once. It is a great workout for body and mind. The slow, purposeful movements require you to stay fully present during the workout. In addition to improving brain functioning, Essentrics also helps with body awareness. I’m asking newcomers to Essentrics to at least try it, which is why Essentrics with Amanda is hosting an Open House Week next month. September 10th-17th - 6 classes in 3 locations are free to anyone who’d like to try Essentics. And there are 5 different workouts offered during the Open House - you can read a description of each here: Group Classes. If you think you’d like to try something new with Essentrics, just drop me a line (EssentricswithAmanda@gmail.com) to reserve your spot. Try it, you just might like it. And your brain will thank you for it. Essentrics instructors from across North America learn a new Trademark sequence from creator Miranda Esmonde-White. We're always learning :-) References
“Like most young girls I did dancing (tap and jazz) at an early age. I completed the exams as far as I could. In New Zealand at that time, there was not much you could do with dancing, so I decided to become an aerobics instructor. I became a certified aerobics instructor at the age of 19. Although it was not dancing, it gave me the chance to be creative with warm up routines. I ended up teaching at Club Physical Gym, where I still am today. As an aerobics instructor, I learnt anything new that came about. I taught Step, Circuit classes, Tai Bo (kickboxing), did full-on Boxing as well (fully trained), New Body (movement with small hand weights), Flex or Pump (weight class with barbells), Sculpt (toning with hand weights), Slide (like step but using a slippery surface where you slide from side to side), Spin (on bikes), Pilates – pretty much everything that was available, I learnt it. I taught at the Gym part time and taught all types of classes, right up till my first child, at the age of 39. I had a bit of a break to look after my baby and started to get back into teaching about 6 months after giving birth. I noticed that I was getting more injuries from weight-bearing classes. Even though my form was good, my body was telling me that it didn’t like it. I didn’t listen to my body and continued with most of these classes. I did start to cut down on more high impact classes, but stuck with the weight-bearing ones, until my second child, at the age of 42.
After teaching Essentrics for 3 months, people would come up to me and say ‘you have lost so much weight’. I was shocked as I still weighed the same, BUT what had changed was the shape of my body. Yes, I was still the typical pear-shaped Kiwi, but I was standing taller and gave the illusion of lost weight. Plus, the type of eccentric training means the muscles are elongated, again making you appear thinner. I continued to teach Essentrics, along with a few barbell classes, when in 2013, I started to have major issues with my knee. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis - from many years of doing weight-bearing exercises. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease, so it’s from ‘wear and tear’. I was told from the specialist to stop all weight-bearing classes and that I would be certainly looking at a knee replacement within the next few years. This led me to give up all classes apart from Essentrics. I was and still am determined NOT to have a knee replacement. The more I taught Essentrics, the more levels I did, the more exams I passed, the more I wanted to learn. In all my years of instructing, and previous examinations, I have learnt more about the anatomy through Essentrics. To this day, 4 years later, I still find myself learning more about the muscles in movement. I have learnt the more you move, the less pain your body is in. I have learnt that even when my knee is painful with the osteoarthritis, if I don’t keep moving and using it, it gets worse. So many people, as soon as they have a diagnosis, give up, they stop moving, when this is the worst thing they could do. I understand that my knee is likely to get worse, but I believe that through Essentrics I can avoid this operation.
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AuthorAmanda Sterczyk is an international author, Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM), an Exercise is Medicine Canada (EIMC) Fitness Professional, and a Certified Essentrics® Instructor. |