My Blog
The Path To Wellbeing
It's ski season, in some parts of the country anyway, which means Nordic ski racing for me. As I am about to embark on the biggest ski race of my career this weekend, the American Birkebeiner, it is good to remember to keep perspective. Please enjoy this piece I previously wrote on the topic.
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When was the last time you showed appreciation for your body and all it does to support and move you? If you are like many, you've had a ore negative tone during recent conversations with your physical structure. Perhaps you've heard yourself expressing resentment for your pain. Or, you've...
In my last blog I described the relationship between anterior pelvic tilt, lengthened hamstrings and shortened hip flexors. Additionally, an anterior tilt can lead to excessive curvature in the spine. This is because the lower back increases its arch while the upper back rounds more to balance...
Well, that seems like a silly question with an obvious answer, right? Wrong!
When we stretch a tight muscle, we make the assumption that the muscle is tight because it is shortened and needs to be lengthened. However, this is not always the case. Actually, a muscle can also be tight because it is...
1. First, Run in Soft Snow for Good Technique
The unstable surface of the snow does not allow you to push off for propulsion. This backward force may cause you to slip as the snow moves with your foot. Thus, you lose traction. If you don't push off from behind, you probably won't...
Do you ever feel like you're not enough? That you should be doing and giving more? I do!
Where does this come from? Why do we feel inadequate despite our achievements? Perhaps we have bought into the beliefs spread through our society in the self-sacrifice or self-esteem handbooks...
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Before any athletic practice or competition, you'll often see rows of athletes lined up in the training room having their ankles, wrists or other various joints taped so they can go play. If you're like most athletes, you don't think much about it except that you need to get to practice...
I've heard a saying regarding pain in the body, “the victim screams while the criminal is silent.”
When Tom Myers, internationally known fascia expert and author of Anatomy Trains, said this, he was referring to the interconnected relationships between the soft tissues in the body....
It's never too early to start planning for your next athletic season. Sometimes it takes years to build up the fitness for an event. You also need long range planning in order to peak for an important competition.
As a coach, I help athletes develop a realistic season calendar. Here's what I...
When we exercise on an aerobic machine (elliptical, treadmill, bike, stair stepper, etc.), our intent is to condition our cardiovascular system. In essence, we are concerned with our heart rate, breathing and fatigue. It is all about our heart and lungs. However, seldom do we consider the...
If you are a competitive summer athlete, your cardiovascular training focus shifts during the fall and winter to over-distance and endurance aerobic workouts. Most people refer to these workouts as Long, Slow Distance (LSD). Through my interactions with people, I have noticed that athletes...
Not enough motion or too much of the same, repetitive movements can cause one major issue: postural deviations. For example, because I spent years hunched over a bicycle, along with a desk job, my shoulders and upper back took on a rounded position. This hunched-over position also tightened my...
