Walk and then Crawl???

What if your legs didn’t work one morning after putting in a few extra hours at work the day before?  Can you imagine if your body didn't allow you step out of bed in the morning because you over-did it the day before? Our body will do what ever we ask of it, with 600 muscles it can find a way, it can recruit a team to come to work, even if its not the most efficient.  The mind seems to have an overwhelming power in this decision making process.   
I am happy to say I made it out on the water again last weekend with great success!  My mind brought me out there and I am happy to say, my body cooperated very nicely!  I was nervous about getting back up on the board, but with some extra caution and support from my friends, everything worked out great!  Its hard to try something new and when it doesn't work out how you expected it can be tough to get back out there any try again.  I think I get so much satisfaction out of this new hobby because of all the work I have done on my body over the past few years.  For a long time I restricted the amount of stress I would put into my body physically, in order to allow it to heal.  I over-did it for a long time, teaching group fitness classes and pushing myself way too hard.  I am sure this new sport would have been another that left me with lots of body aches and pains afterwards because of all the compensating that was going on in my muscular system prior to the healing journey I took.
I suppose with perfect mechanics the body was built to survive a lifetime of physical stress, but for some reason it is willing to sacrifice its longevity of joint integrity for short term achievements.  This is very congruent to the way we function in this society.  Short term accomplishments, feelings and pleasures always seem to appeal more than the work that goes into long term changes and growth.  Especially if you are dealing with pre-exsisting problems such as a knee injury, an overweight body or high cholesterol.  Not only do we need to move forward and make changes, but we have to account for what we have already harmed in the careless part of the process.  
See if you can identify an aspect of your life that you have over-stressed and work on bringing that portion back to a neutral and safe state.  And then from there work towards progressing it the proper way towards a goal.  Anything is possible when its done with progression.  A baby rolls over before crawling and crawls before walking, so why do we run and surf before we know how to properly use our bodies?  Does the mind just get ahead of itself? 

Sketchers Shape-Ups

Are Sketcher's Shape-Ups good for me?

I get asked about shoes often and its important to remember, that each shoe is a different tool for your body to get around.  Think of a screw-driver, a hammer and a wrench.  They all have a different function.  Another great analogy is your workout in the gym: Upper Body, Lower Body, Core, Balance, Cardio, etc.  These are all tools for fitness.  You wouldn’t choose just one for an overall conditioning of your body.  Think of your shoes this way, each one can be compared to a treadmill or a bike or an elliptical.  Each having a different purpose.

We are all looking for the quick fix, the easy way out and the most efficient method.  Its human nature!  As far as the Sketchers Shape-Ups are concerned, they are supposed to help tone certain leg muscles.  Remember, the muscles they tone will vary depending on your body type, fitness level, previous conditions and biomechanics.  They will cause you to compensate certain foot muscles however to accomplish this, so it may not be wise to wear them all day.  I like to compare wearing rigid shoes to wearing an oven mitt on our hands...  Would you keep your finger restricted? 

When I asked my Facebook friends I received a variety of responses, “I could definitely feel it working my legs”, “I bought them for my girlfriend, she hearts them”,  “All day wear IMO really depends on how the individual walks (pronation vs supination) and the design of the shoe”, “I was told NOT to wear MBTs all day & to build up in small increments”. 

Regardless, any shoe is going to change the natural bio-mechanics of the foot.  My philosophy is to have well-rounded footwear, based on your own goals and biomechanics.  Don't spend too much time in any one shoe and spend as much time barefoot & aware of your foot strength as possible.  Wear sneakers like the sketchers as you would commit yourself to a 45 minute workout. So wear them for a little bit everyday for benefit, but not all day long (you wouldn't lift biceps all day long).

Some of my favorites are Ecco’s and Feelmax.  When worn in properly, they can provide an adequate amount of balance throughout the joints and allow the body to move the way it was designed.

Click on the links throughout the article to take a look at some of this footwear!!!