MY FOUNDATION TRAINING JOURNEY (SO FAR!)
As we approach each successive birthday we tend to reflect on the past and wonder about the future. While the past holds many memories, both good and bad, the future is what causes excitement in the present.
What do you see yourself doing in 1 year, 5 years 20 years? What are you doing today in the realm of self care to prepare your body and mind for your future? Why is it that as we “age”, pills, doctor visits and conversations about our aches and pains are the activities that plan our week. With so many wonderful natural methods available to us through the internet, it has become much easier to gain the knowledge we need to keep ourselves vibrant and in the game of life. The first line of defense should be to keep your body tall and strong. Without that everything else is just a pipe dream.
How can I stay independent and regain the vitality of my youth?
 Our culture has become too sedentary and more so as we approach our senior years. Next time you're out and about do some people watching and notice: Heads too far forward, shoulders rolled inward, upper body collapsed forward, short unsteady steps, stooped over. Is that what you envision for yourself? Neither do I. We’ve been told to stand up straight and exercise, so you straighten up and pull your shoulders back, but after a minute or so, your good posture becomes uncomfortable. It becomes a constant battle to remember. Then we start to feel guilty that we know what we should do, but don’t really want to. So we join a gym and begin with the standard protocol, with the accompanying muscle soreness. Should you be be doing cardio? Lifting weights? Both? How much, how long and how many times a week? Usually the suggestion is 2-3 days cardio 2-3 days strength training. Talk about jumping in with both feet - hoping you can swim against that tide. Sort of like weight loss in that respect. Too much, too soon! There are just too many diets or, in the case of exercise, too many options that promise the world but are short on delivery, unless we dedicate our lives to it. Not what I envisioned, how about you?
My answer to this dilemma is Foundation Training,
This short, simple, easy to learn set of exercises, can be done anywhere, anytime and throughout your day. These techniques will rapidly return you to the life you envision.
Wanna get back to the golf course or even get back that handicap you use to have? Wanna get down on the floor and play with your grandkids and pick them up? Wanna get back out in the garden? Wanna get ________ (fill in the blank)? Then FT is for you. Once you get your body back and feeling like it used to, your brain responds in a positive way. You will start doing the things you have been avoiding; you will remain independent and happy for many years to come. 2 Exercises, repeated 3 times, in just 10-15 minutes will have profound effects on your life. Yes, it really is that simple. Then, and only then, can you think about the fitness class or weight training without being prone to injury or feeling like everybody is watching you. 
I am the first and only Certified Foundation Training Instructor in SWFL and my beginner exercises are techniques performed in a standing position. These can also be adapted to a seated position for those who need it.
Personal training, as well as small group classes are available at several locations throughout SWFL. I also offer in home personal training and online instruction. We live in paradise here in SWFL. Let’s enjoy it, and reverse this trend that we have to succumb to “getting old”. Let’s go kicking and screaming into that good night! Contact me today!
Lately I have been on a new mission to introduce SWFL to an amazingly effective, new self care exercise program called Foundation Training, Developed by Dr Eric Goodman to heal his own back pain, it has been used by many hundreds of people, from all walks of life, to eliminate pain and improve their athletic performance. The best thing about Foundation Training is how simple it is to learn and more importantly, how it integrates good posture, deep breathing and a natural movement pattern into your life.
I first heard about Foundation Training from an interview Dr Goodman did with Dr. Joseph Mercola about 2 years ago, was immediately intrigued, ordered the book and then the DVDs. For the next few months I dove into learning Foundation Training and doing the workouts provided. I had a few aches and recurring pain from years of abusing my body with weights and martial arts; I had a tendency to play all out in my younger days. If you have had pain for any length of time it just becomes part of life and you learn to deal with it, which is what I did. Because of that it took a couple of months for me to realize that the pain in my shoulder, mid back, lower back, knees and the daily aches and pain of aging all disappeared. I hadn't felt this good in years! In the morning I used to have to get out of bed fairly slowly and let my body start to warm up to movement especially my knees. I didn’t feel safe going down the stairs from my bedroom on the 2nd floor until the pain subsided and my knees would start moving again. As I was learning Foundation Training, I was exposed to a lot of information about posture, natural movement and how both affect our bodies and how, if dysfunctional, contribute to our many aches and pains. Again through Dr Mercola’s site I was introduced to Dr Joan Vernikos author of the book “Sitting Kills Moving Heals”. Dr Vernikos, while at NASA was responsible for the health of the astronauts before during and after spaceflight. Her research uncovered that the health of the astronauts returning from space exhibited all the signs of what we would call “aging”. The book is a quick and enjoyable read on how we can stay healthy and active as we get older. She called Foundation Training the answer to her research while at NASA. Needless to say the more I read and the more I did Foundation Training I could see and feel how we can all benefit from learning this simple, easy to learn program. I have purposely limited my exercise to just Foundation Training, and of course my martial arts, to experience just what Foundation Training can accomplish. I have not been disappointed! On my 60th birthday, I traveled to Utah for Instructor Certification in Foundation Training and am now the first and only Certified Foundation Training instructor in SWFL. I am happy to offer small group classes, personal training and workshops in Foundation Training at my studio in North Naples - SWFL Health and Self Defense. I have also integrated Foundation Training in my “Bucket List Martial Arts” classes - martial arts for the over 50 generation. Good health is your best self defense! |
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