The benefits of "earthing" are absolutely amazing!
I did a presentation on this about 6 months ago at the office and during my research, this is what I discovered about the benefits of actually getting your body connected with the earth:
1. Anti-Oxidants! That's right…when your body is exposed to toxins,gets rid of toxins, makes energy, fights off viruses, or makes hormones, it is breaking your body down and leaving behind an unpaired electron called a "free radical".
The free electrons that flood your body when you connect yourself to the earth go to work to neutralize those suckers and keep you from rotting like an apple (also known as AGING!)
2. Helps ground you and protect you from all the electromagnetic pollution you're exposed to everyday like cell phones, wireless internet, powerlines, etc.
3. When you're barefoot on the earth, you are also flooding your nervous system with "afferance" or input that does three things 1. blocks pain 2. relaxes tight muscles 3. increases coordination to the brain!
When you wear shoes, this crucial input is GONE! And paradoxically, you end up with more ankle sprains, hip and knee problems, and a greater likelihood of falling (and sometimes NOT being able to get back up!).
So take your shoes off, soak up some electrons from all those lightning strikes, improve your balance, and get back in tune with the NATURAL WAY!
Until next time…
Think good thoughts, eat good food, and STAY VERTICAL!
LA Times Article (Left) Raises Controversy Over The Right Way To Train Your Core.
NO SIT UPS?
I can hear the cheers from across the globe!
But I can also hear the steam coming out of the ears of the millions who do theirs faithfully and swear by them.
So what gives?
Here’s the deal…Sit ups where you curl up with a rounded back put a TON of pressure onto your discs. That’s the main reason my teacher, Dr. Stu McGill, is so against them.
He’s been sticking electrodes in back muscles for decades at his lab in Waterloo, Ontario and has VOLUMES of literature about the causes of disc injuries.
So if Stu says no sit ups, I agree!
Well sort of!
Here’s what I mean. You should always look at an exercise and say, "Does this help train and protect my body during my activities of daily living? In other words…"IS IT FUNCTIONAL?"
Well, the answer to the sit up question is, "Of course it’s functional!" If you’re lying down, you should be able to "sit up", right?
So yes, you should be able to do it…BUT to do it 25, 50, 100 times? That’s way too much disc load and even if you have no pain with them right now, why risk the repetitive injury??
As a matter of fact, our thinking here at Core Wellness has evolved even beyond these "man made" exercises to the "neurodevelopmental model" that’s come out of Eastern Europe the last few years.
I mention it in my comment I left of the LA Times blog (copied below) and wrote about it in the first post ever on this blog.
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COMMENT #290: Well written article. I’ve worked with dr. mcgill personally several times over the last 10 years and the man’s amazing with his detailed science.
the “belly button to the spine” for most people, tends to create a flared rib cage in the front and a loss of intra abdominal pressure which creates an “energy leak”.
so for human FUNCTION, you must train FUNCTIONALLY!
here is where we must look to infant posture development as the model of how to train the “deep core stability” system. this system is automatically triggered by reproducing the environment encountered by the infant as posture is developed fully at four years old.
this new model has emerged from prague and is the only one that’s ever made PERFECT sense. this is because it’s how we were designed.
The first thing and most important factor for weight loss is, of course, to get your body moving. But just the thought of exercise can send some people running (or limping) to the hills!
You may have your reasons…sometimes they’re emotional (made fun of for lack of athleticism in school), and sometimes they’re about the time it takes (just don’t have any!).
But the biggest reason I hear is because SOMETHING HURTS! “I started yoga and hurt my back”, “I did turbo-kick and my hip started hurting”, “I started Curves and my shoulders started hurting“.
I’ve heard ‘em all, just about. And it’s a shame, because if you can exercise effectively you can burn fat like crazy!
For instance…There’s a lot of proof that high intensity interval training (HIIT) can burn up to 9 times as much fat per calorie expended during exercise. WHY?
Because the high intensity stuff builds more lean muscle which consumes/burns more fat. BUT…the whole “high intensity” thing also brings up a common problem…INJURIES that lead to inability to do anything!
The fact is…without good biomechanics, even slow and easyaerobic exercise (which I still whole heartedly recommend despite all the “cardio myth” propaganda) will eventually cause breakdown. So when you turbo boost the intensity you’re really asking for it! Which brings me to…
TIP #1: You MUST Use Good Form And Have Good Core Strength Before Doing ANY Kind Of Exercise.
What do I mean? I mean focus on FORM is everything! And I’m not just talking about “keeping your shoulders back” or “pulling your belly button to your spine!
I’m talking about moving like you were designed to move! Strain free, efficient movement IS the design as long as your posture developed normally without any neurological conditions or blocked joints.
But therein lies the “snafu”…
According to Professor Voigta’s clinical research in Prague, (Pr. Voigta has passed but his predecessor, Pavel Kolar, has stood on his shoulders and taken the “developmental kinesiology” model to new heights)up to 1/3 of children do NOT develop normally and therefore develop movement patterns that don’t allow for the strain free efficiency that the majority of people have the capacity to easily accomplish.
How can you tell if you or your children are part of the 1/3 that missed out on some good postural development and need to pay some special attention to re-awakening the deep core stability system?
I’ve posted a couple of “self test” videos below (from our soon to be released DVD and multi-media program) to see if you’re at risk for crossed posture syndrome or deep core amnesia.
The new DVD will reveal how you can reverse damaging posture patterns that lead to injury and early breakdown while re-awakening your “youth and renewal” system. It will also introduce the system we’ve created called the Myobalance Method(tm) and we are extremely excited to finally be able to make this unique and powerful training method available beyond the walls of Core Wellness.
If you’d like to be on the early notification list to take advantage of the special bonuses we’ll be offering exclusively to our “inner circle”, be sure that you’ve signed up for the Core Wellness Community Update at the upper right hand corner of the page!
I’ll be back in a few days with some surprising diet strategies that not only help you burn more fat but cool the fire of pain and inflammation as well…so stay tuned for part 2!
drh
P.S. By doing the following 2 tests, you’ll know just how in tune you are with your “deep core stability” or whether you’ve got deep core amnesia!…
OH, and please let me know how you did by clicking “leave a comment” at the top of the post!
Sat. April 4th 8am – 12 noon-Bardstown Road Farmer’s Market opening day. Get out there ad support your local farmers! www.bardstownroadfarmersmarket.com
Performing at a Core Wellness Client Appreciation House Concert
Saturday, April 4th…7-9pm . “Playing For The Animals” Annual Benefit Gig for Clark County Animal Shelter.
Dr. Steve sings, plays acoustic guitar and harmonica with Miss Rebecca singing back up. Perkfection Café (corner of Maple and Spring in downtown Jeffersonville) (Click here for a video of grassfed rockin’)
April 7th, 6-8pm “Think Right, Eat Right, Move Right” Core Wellness Mini Boot Camp.
"Hands on" demo at previous mini boot camp
Dr. Hoffman finally leaks the secrets to the success of the Core Wellness Pain Relief and Therapeutic Lifestyle Program in this content rich, exciting new event.
Designed for conscious consumers who know that it’s EDUCATION…NOT MEDICATION that helps you avoid the traps of chronic pain, fatigue, and the host of degenerative diseases that insidiously steal away your health and happiness. Here’s just a few things you’ll learn at the event…
Learn new Eastern European strategies for “switching on” your automatic good posture system for fast pain relief, better performance, and an amazing self confidence boost
Mindset secrets to keep you from “falling off the wagon”, and “self sabotaging” your health improvement efforts.
Nutritional solutions for weight loss, detox, brain “defogging”, and more energy.
FAX back this flyer to 812-280-8171 or call Rebecca @ 812-280-8170 to reserve your seat.
Tuesday, April 21st, 6 to 7pm
Next raw food education/demonstration meetup. Theme to be announced pending survey results from previous initial meetup. JOIN OUR RAW FOOD MEETUP GROUP!
