Friday, August 29, 2008

Packs that break backs














School.. School...School ...School.... School...


BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!!!!


The great words a parent can here. However...



With kids heading back to school it is very important that you start to think about their Back health. Around september, I start to get a lot of my young athletes coming in for extra Fascial Stretch Therapy sessions, and most of them have some minor muscular imbalances starting to try to creap into their shoulders and backs. Why would this see to happen in september more then any other time of year.

Overloaded, unbalanced, single arm slinged back packs and sitting for hours a day seem to play a large roll in the extra Fascial Stretch therapy that we do in September.


So here are some things that you need to think about when packing a back pack.
  1. Make sure it is fitted properly, close to the body

  2. Use both straps when carrying it. To many times I see kids with only one strap or the backpack over their shoulder. This contributes to twisting of the spine and compression down that one side. Wearing only one strap may seem cool but can cause a child to lean to one side, curving the spine and causing pain or discomfort.
  3. Over loaded back packs,Never let a child carry more than 15% of his or her body weight
    I saw one so over loaded last year I thought the kid was half ant. I am amased the kid could move as I am sure that it was 3/4 their weight and alost as tall as them. It was like they were going camping for a month.

  4. distribute the weight evenly in the back pack, pack heavy items first.
  5. DO not over pack back pack. Here is an Idea get a note book that you can take notes in that has tear out pages so you can put them in their individual binds at the end of the day. this will cut down on the number of note books you or your kid has to carry.Check what your child carries to school and brings home to make sure the items are necessary to the day’s activities
  6. Use a pull bag if you have any back issues.
  7. Select a pack with well-padded shoulder straps. Too much pressure on shoulders and necks can cause pain and tingling
  8. Choose the right size pack for your child’s back as well as one with enough room for necessary school items If a student is experiencing back pain or neck soreness, consult your doctor or registered kinesiologist.
Also start thinking about good healthy snacks for your kids like Simple chocolate crsip bars for their snacks. Get them at http://www.3pkhealthstore.ca/ alng with all you need to live a healthier life.


Wednesday, August 27, 2008

STRUCTURED SPORTS KILLS KIDS ATHLETICIM


I came across a short story today in my in box. I believe strongly that children are often pushed to be in just one sport like basketball, football, soccer, hockey in hope by their parents that some how the will be the next Crosby, Bries, Beckham or Bryant. WE HAVE BECOME TOO STRUCTURED AND IT IS KILLING ATHLETICISM IN OUR KIDS.
So everyone knows this is my son having fun running and playing with the agility ladder when he was 1.5years old. We did not force him he just started playing on it and having fun.

Think back to you youth, did you always play organized sports. Yet with our busy lives we are now driving our kids to only structured sporting events. The youth of today is not playing outside as much with their friends they have play dates now. Did you have play dates as a kid? I think Not! You told your mom that you were going over to Mikes or Matt's or Jane's house then going to the school play ground to play soccer, or the back ally to shoot hoops or play street hockey. And all the kids from the neighborhood would show up, some were even a few years older then you right!. So WHY do we do it to our kids.

You might want to call me a hypocrite as I do have parents paying me to train their over structured children. But I will say that we try to break up the structure with them to help them develop better motor patterns and learn how to move first and i encourage all my young athletes to play more that one sport.

And just so you know HOCKEY KIDS are usually the worst coordinated when is comes to running movement patterns and body control. As many of them do so much skating that they are not developing muscle to run and cut directions and move well off the ice also affects them on the ice.
Why well think of this hockey skates lock your heal in so you have no plantar flexion in the foot (foot pointing) and the power come from a sideways 45 degree movement from the hips. so they become hip walkers. So please get your kids playing at least street hockey and some other sports.

Neurologically children develop best when they are learning to move in multiple ways and directions without structure.

Think about the best athletes through out history Pele, Gretzky, Jordan etc. do you think that the became great just by doing structured organized sports and agility drills, and team practices, hell no. They learned on the frozen ponds, the beat up courts and the make shift dirt fields with divots and no shoes and a ball the didn't role true.

So getting children involved in multiple sports will help them develop athleticism and coordination. My favorite sports to expose kids to are Recreational gymnastics develops connection through out the body upper and lower, swimming is a skill that all kids need and develops coordination, soccer develops coordination and fine motor control in the legs unlike any other sport, and running in multiple directions because everyone should learn to run and move with grace.

But more importantly we need to keep encouraging our children to learn to play in unorganized pick up games of hockey, basketball, soccer and other activities because this is where imaginative play happens and real skills are created away from the eyes and ideas of adults. It gives them confidence to try new things and tricks on the field with out the perception that they have failed. Otherwise we will have failed to create athletic individuals of the future.

so here is the story.

"There's no research to suggest that young kids who love their sport will risk burnout, says Joe Baker, a professor of Kinesiology and sports health in York’s Faculty of Health, in a Globe and Mail story Aug. 26 about the impact of year-round sports and the pressure to excel on young athletes.
But even if a child is mentally and physically prepared for a hectic sports schedule, new research suggests throwing a kid's sports eggs in one basket can make him a worse, not better, player.
Baker has been collecting data on athletes considered the best of the best. "Some of the data we have shows they spent a lot more time playing at their sport in an unorganized way," he says. Fewer rules and drills appears to promote a flexibility in the way kids think about problems on the court or rink."

So let your kids play.

I know that the best player I every played with and against played multiple sports had imagination, speed, coordination on the field and that they developed it through play and not through structured drills and agility exercises.
So just a side not kids also need good nutrition to keep going all day.So you should try Brainiums Omega 3 chews and a chewable multi-vitamins
check here to order your and your kids vitamines and check out our othe great products.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Richmond reassigned to keep pitching game up.


Well breaking into the big leagues can have its ups and down. And Scott seems to be having both.

After 3 games with the Jay's and some time in the bull pen he is back down pitching successfully in the AAA for the Syracuse Chiefs. I know that he will be called up again if he keeps pitching well like he has been.
check out his 2 latest pitching stats.

Date OPP W L ERA SV I PH ER BB SO

Aug 19 PAW 0 0 1.80 0 5.0 4 1 2 5
Aug 24 ROC 1 0 3.86 0 7.0 7 3 1 3
So some have questioned the Jay's timing by calling him up just before the Olympics but sports can be tough. I know that Scott will be up in the major leagues to stay soon. May be he just need a fascial stretch therapy session in between his games. Well I know I will see him back for stretches in the off season to help him get his arm ready for next time he get the call up.
You may not be a professional athlete but you should also look at stretching and doing self fascial release rolling. contact us to book a session or find out what you should be doing.

Monday, August 25, 2008

BE LIKE THAT

All athletes strive to find their peak preformance. The olympics come only once every 4 years where the world come together to play and compete with and against each other. They are about pushing human potential and striving for the best. For some gold is great but for many the experiance of copmeting against the very best makes them all that much better.

I know that we are not all olympians but the capacity for greatness that they have resides in all of us. We need to learn to play more and find you passion and inner greatness, In sports, arts, and life.

Because we can all be like that.

POETRY IN MOTION THE HUMAN BODY.

IT ALWAY AMAZES ME TO SEE HOW GRACEFUL THE HUMAN BODY IS .

16 Days in Beijing

here is a rerun of the 16 days of the olympics

Friday, August 22, 2008

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

twigs and berries




It is Blueberry season and I have found the best berries of them all except maybe Halle Berry.
So I was looking to get Blue Berries because they are so amazing for you but I wanted to get quality as well not a bunch on berries flown in from some where else like or the United States or Chile. Not that there is any thing wrong with berries from these other locations but I believe strongly in eating locally as much as we can. That is why I get eggs when I can down the road, buy our lamb directly form farmers, and go fishing to catch a good portion of the fish we eat in my family. I also grow a veggie garden. You should look at supporting your local farmers as well.
So like I was saying I have found the best berries in BC. Ricki and Newton Sahota, have an amazing program for business and families. They deliver fresh blue berries to you at your office. Talk about a summer treat.
Twin Berry Farms has developed an innovative farm-direct-to-office program that offers a unique and easy way for people to make a difference in their community and to themselves by eating healthfully with delicious and nutritious blueberries by directly improving the well-being of people in need living in greater Vancouver.

They are Vancouver’s only blueberry farm that has committed to give back up to 15% of every order delivered, 100% of the time. That means absolutely each and every purchase you make through our GoodBerry Program delivers a meaningful and tangible impact in our neighborhood.

Ricki and Newton hope you’ll join with us in changing the world…one blueberry at a time
Get your berries.

Scott win his first game.

So a quick up date on Scott Richmond for all of you that are interested. He pitched again last night and the blue jays came back to win the game. So he ends up with a no decision as he was pulled in the 5 Th inning. With the score 3-2 for the A's but that's baseball. He kept them in the game.
Toronto came back in the 9 Th to win the game 4-3.