Explore this essential value from someone who has been around a while.
I’ve been around a while in the arena of health, fitness, performance, and wellness. And I’ve come to realize many things.
HealthSpan is the time having the capacity of wholesome balanced body and mind that is maintained over a period of time. Often health is defined as the state without a condition of disease or dysfunction. I see it differently – I see potential. In my arena of health and fitness, health is the foundational status as the spring-board for furthering one’s capacities. The foundations are based in measures of functional mobility and breath function from which fitness, wellness and performance rise from. Healthy foundations allow a person to stress the body-mind complex in the pursuit of promoting positive adaptations and furthering capacities. These strengthen, or cultivated, capacities are then available to ward-off degenerative and dysfunctional imbalances, and fostering resourceful supports for what a person wants to do in their lives.
Unfortunately most health systems and practitioners focus on treating people’s pain, dysfunction and/or illness and all attempts go toward prolonging life and preventing pain. This happens under a narrow scope of services aimed at the dysfunction or disease, rather than on the promotion of one’s available and attainable resources to surround the healing process. Results of limiting pain, illness or disease leave a person dependent on the given remedies and practitioner for the answers to their suffering. Dependency on a system that does not promote health and life, and little faith in one’s own capabilities. Few are given the opportunity to move beyond just being less in pain, or illness. And thus health is seen as a baseline level of living, instead of the vast capacities possible with the right actions. Little or no guidance is offered, referred or given to what the next steps are beyond maintaining a low-level status quo. Very few are encouraged to seek potentiating their own capacities for a more vital life experience.
As I look around on the trails, in the gyms, and in the movement studios of Pilates and Yoga, I see more flawed and debilitating movement and breathing patterns than proper and strong patterns. And I don’t blame people. I point to the lack of proper guidance and body-breath awareness that is essential to exercising well. So instead of exercise to promote health and fitness, people are exercise to promote un-necessary stress and imbalances. And then the exercise becomes the “injurer” of the injured. Instead, it was the person performing without the proper guidance that injures themselves.
In addition, there is incredible confusion and misguidance as to how to exercise for promoting health and fitness. And from all angles – the doctor who is not a professional in the movement and breathing arts, the therapist who can only focus on the body part in pain for multiple forces placed on them to provide therapeutics, the trainer who is choose to go for strength in power and core moves, the psychologists who encourages a deep breath every time one experiences a stress situation, the motivated fitness pursuer who is inundated and manipulated with images and messages in the fitness world market, the false quick fix promises that project from the bullhorns of the so-called know the best thing without backing, the messages of weakness and stiffness are the problem, and the unattainable goals set by self or other. The confusion is the poison that sickens the one who wants to be healthier through some form of exercise or stimulating activity.
I am not promoting my approach is for everyone. My approach requires a desire to move and breathe toward the best self. My approach puts the responsibility on you to put in your best effort, your best feet forward, and the hunger for experiencing your life from your best self.
I do have over 35 years of personal, educational and professional experience. Personally tested many ways for periods of time to see their benefits over time – more than 3 or 4 weeks. I’ve also invested time in being with the top professionals in the fields of movement and breath to potentiate my practical knowledge and implement the well tested methods – clinically, scientifically and longevity (practices that have withstood time and evolution 500-1000year wisdom).
I also have seen time and time and time again the results of participating in their health and well-being. With the clients who have followed their individual guidance AND participated to the best of their ability in the suggested program(s) given – even simple, minimal time methods – they ALL have experienced the change they’ve wanted, experienced life changing possibilities by furthering their capacities for what they want to do in their lives.
From my own disabling injuries and painful experiences that I overcame and grew tremendously from, I feel I have some idea of what it takes. From the many fortunate years of clinical practice, not manipulate by the industry or 3rd-party influences, and being able to see a multitude of people with a wide spectrum of challenges I trust my ability to assess and figure out best ways forward. And with the passion to both be at my best with each client, AND offer the best that I know (or get them to someone who does) I believe I have something very supportive, valuable and effective to offer.
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