Fitness Professionals Archives - Page 20 of 65

Bilateral Coordination: The Gateway to Successful Movement | Part 1

Colleen Bridges/3 December 2021/ All MFN blog/

“You want me to do what?” says Susan when she hears the drill that I want her to complete during our exercise class.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! Where do you come up with these drills? You DO remember I have Parkinson’s Disease?” To which I smile and reply, “Yes, and you can do this, I promise!!”

Susan rolls her eyes and jokingly replies, “Right, I guess we’ll just have to see about that, Colleen!”

“You can do this Susan,” I reply, “but it is going to require work, and I’ll be right here to help you.”

You may be thinking to yourself, what kind of drill is Colleen asking her client to perform? Could it be a 150lb deadlift? Maybe it’s a 5ft plyo-jump on one leg or possibly a 3 minute plank? Not even close! While the deadlift, jump and plank are all fantastic exercises, I’m asking Susan to do a lunge series with lateral arm lift series which incorporates Bilateral Coordination.

Bearfoot OT and Noémie von Kaenel, OTS share that bilateral coordination is the integration and sequencing of movement by using “two parts of the body together for motor activities”.

“To coordinate two-sided or bilateral movements, the brain needs to communicate between both its hemispheres through the corpus callosum which we will discuss later on. But it is important to note that this area of the brain develops at 20 weeks but connections between the two hemispheres strengthen and develop as a child develops . Bilateral coordination is also closely linked to the vestibular system (where your head is in space), posture, and balanced movements.”

For example: We all grew up challenging our friends to pat their head and rub their tummy at the same time. Then switch hand placement and repeat. Take a second and give it a try! Did you find one hand placement easier than the other? Now, imagine that you have Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and you’ve been given this challenge. You would probably tell me that it was tough on both sides. Why is that?

Let’s take a few moments and discuss Parkinson’s Disease so you understand the challenge of Bilateral Coordination.

By definition, Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominantly dopamine-producing neurons in the Substantia Nigra (SN) (Latin for “Black Substance”, due to its darkened pigment in the brain). The substantia nigra contains the highest concentration of dopamine neurons. It is a part of the Basal Ganglia, an area responsible for motor control, motor learning, and procedural memory, such as learning how to tie your shoes.

Substantia Nigra in Normal Brain vs. Parkinson’

Without the Substantia Nigra, the brain and body simply do not communicate as well, or at all depending on the stage of PD. To us, fitness professionals, we observe those living with Parkinson’s Disease displaying uncoordinated movements, loss of balance, poor gait, postural issues, visual tracking problems, rigidity, tremor, freezing, facial masking, inability to focus on a task or process information clearly, bradykinesia, hypophonia (volume of voice)… and as it pertains to Bilateral Coordination, the challenge to perform a drill with one side of the body such as the left arm while moving the right leg. Now your wheels are turning and you are probably asking yourself…

Why Is Bilateral Coordination Important?

Bilateral Coordination requires your small and large motor and visual-motor functioning to work together making it possible to accomplish ALL of your daily tasks! For example, in order to write your grocery list on a piece of paper, you need to hold the paper with one hand while writing the note at the same time.

Proprioception or body awareness is another great reason to work on Bilateral Coordination. Throughout our entire life, we have the ability to know where our body is in time and space. For the person living with Parkinson’s Disease, this means a lower risk of falling, and believe me, that is crucial!

What Is The Scientific Explanation Of Bilateral Coordination?

We learned in a previous article, “How a Thought Becomes an Action”, that motion in the brain is complicated and there are numerous steps to ensure that the motion in the brain is coordinated and precise. This all starts in the motor cortex, goes through the spine into motor neurons and muscles, and goes back into the brain to be fine-tuned by the basal ganglia (keep in mind this is where the substantia nigra resides). But now we’re adding onto this process by adding on even more coordinated movement in:

The premotor cortex
Supplementary motor area
The cerebellum
And the corpus callosum

Each one of these areas works in tandem with the movement pathways we discussed previously to produce bilateral movement and is the reason that I can type and you can read this paper right now. Let’s go over what each of these areas does, starting with the premotor cortex (Figure 1, below).

Fig. 1 The neural pathway from stimulus sensation to movement response.

The premotor cortex is more involved in the planning of movement rather than the execution is important for bilateral coordination in movements even as simple as walking.
- When walking, the premotor cortex would be important for planning the gait length required to keep our balance, the speed, and overall how the movement is going to go so we don’t crumple or trip over our own feet (to some extent anyway…)
The supplementary motor area (SMA) is also involved in planning movement, but in a different way.
- The SMA is planning for movements both ipsilaterally (scientific jargon for same-side), and contralaterally (scientific jargon for different-side).
  - While the premotor cortex is planning for what muscles have to move to do the actual action, the SMA is controlling which sides are going to go first to maintain balance and what makes the most sense given the environment we would be walking in.
The cerebellum is less involved in conscious movement but is extremely involved in coordination and balance, which is needed for performing tasks bilaterally.
- When walking, we need our brain to fine-tune the balancing and counterbalancing errors (such as arm swing), which happens in the cerebellum. Think of the cerebellum like an editor. The movement keeps happening, and each time it keeps getting better and easier because of the error calculations the cerebellum makes.
The corpus callosum, which works in tandem with the rest of the cortex to send signals to the different halves of the brain.
- What happens on one side doesn’t always translate to the other side, which is where the corpus callosum comes in. Each side has its own control mechanisms for the opposite side of the body (talk about contralateral). The corpus callosum is the phone line that connects these two hemispheres so they can talk to each other and get the messages for both sides of the body into a beautifully coordinated orchestra of neuronal firing and muscle movements.

So given these four areas of the brain, along with the rest of the movement pathway, there are numerous elements here contributing to sensory integration, planning of movement, checkpoints for these movement executions, and a miscommunication playing out on both sides of the brain. This means that there are a lot of alternate pathways in case anything goes wrong. However, pathways can deteriorate over time, and problems can arise. Which brings us to PD, and the issues that may happen in bilateral coordination as the disease progresses.

How Does Bilateral Coordination falter in the PD brain?

There’s a lot of different attributes to movements like walking – a complicated movement with a number of variables:

First, you have to start walking.
- Because it requires a lot of input all at once, it’s hard for the brain to do subconsciously, especially for someone who has PD. similar to revving a car for the first time after stopping at a red light.
Then you have sensory cues.
- These can be challenges like incline or decline, which determines how much effort you need to stay upright, stay up to speed, and how much force you need to put into your step to keep up with gravity (like a driver constantly paying attention to the road).
Once you start walking, your brain can put less effort into what researchers call “steady-state walking”, where your legs follow the same instructions repeatedly, similar to coasting on a highway (2).
Next, we get to turning, where walking requires more input such as:
- Balancing on one leg while pivoting the other
- Slowing down, and speeding back up again (all while navigating those sensory cues, mind you), which is where a lot of the times this bilateral coordination seems to freeze up in PD, hence the clinical symptom called freezing of gait (FOG).
- Thinking again of the car analogy, this is akin to having to slow down and turn the wheel the proper amount so you don’t hit the curb but you make it to the proper lane, speeding back up again.

With all those steps, anything that goes wrong will hurt the body’s ability to keep steady and coordinate larger and smaller movements on both sides. We also need to take into consideration that we all have a dominant side in normal movement that is easier to control. Evidence suggests the dominant side is worse in PD, perhaps due to brain asymmetry, meaning anything involving that side is most likely going to be slower and more uncoordinated, such as balancing on your dominant side or having to pivot on your dominant foot (1,2). Again, comparing it to a car running, if you have a bad steering wheel, your turns are going to be a little rough and you might end up swerving more or less on target. Or you need new adjustments or wheel bearings that make your balance and steadiness just a little bit better (speaking from personal experience). These parts make a car drive smoothly, as the neural circuits involved in the basal ganglia — along with all the new motor regions I mentioned–interact as one unit to make the walking as coordinated as possible.

This type of movement is also affected by our favorite neurotransmitter: dopamine. As we know, dopamine affects the basal ganglia, which has a conversation with all of the different areas we’ve talked about, such as the supplementary motor area, which is important for coordinating movements. We have seen in past research that taking dopaminergic medication has positively affected Phase Coordination Index (PCI), which measures bilateral coordination by looking at footsteps and foot switching (4). What does this mean exactly? Taking dopaminergic medications creates a more balanced movement, most likely by increasing basal ganglia activity, which thus increases the conversation between this and other movement areas needed for bilateral movement.

We also know that exercise is great for PD! Not only has this been seen in PD-specific fitness classes, but in research as well! Taking medications that increase dopamine uptake can mitigate some of these falters in movement and can create a more efficient signaling cascade, but it can only do so much. The other part of strengthening these pathways comes from exercise that can lead to better balance, smoother motion, and greater bilateral coordination! We’ve seen in some research studies on physical therapy techniques that auditory and visual cues, premeditated/thoughtful movements, and most importantly repeated balance drills can decrease FOG episodes, which could be attributed to a lack of bilateral coordination (3).

And what incorporates all of those? Exercise classes! In Part 2, we discuss Steps To Incorporating Bilateral Coordination Into Your Exercise Program.

Become a Parkinson’s Disease Fitness Specialist!

Check out Colleen’s online course on MedFit Classroom….

Co-Written by Colleen Bridges, M.Ed, NSCA-CPT and Renee Rouleau.

Colleen Bridges is the author of MedFit Classroom’s Parkinson’s Disease Fitness Specialist course. Renee Rouleau is a PhD student at the Jacobs School of Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo.

References

van der Hoorn, A., Bartels, A. L., Leenders, K. L., & de Jong, B. M. (2011). Handedness and dominant side of symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 17(1), 58-60. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2010.10.002
Plotnik, M., & Hausdorff, J. M.. (2008). The role of gait rhythmicity and bilateral coordination of stepping in the pathophysiology of freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders, 23(S2), S444–S450. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.21984
Rutz, D. G., & Benninger, D. H.. (2020). Physical Therapy for Freezing of Gait and Gait Impairments in Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review. PM&R, 12(11), 1140–1156. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmrj.12337
Son, M., Han, S. H., Lyoo, C. H., Lim, J. A., Jeon, J., Hong, K.-B., & Park, H.. (2021). The effect of levodopa on bilateral coordination and gait asymmetry in Parkinson’s disease using inertial sensor. Npj Parkinson’s Disease, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-021-00186-7
Kramer P., & Hinojosa, J., (2010). Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy: 3rd Edition. Baltimore, Maryland: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Magalhães, L.C., Koomar, J.A., Cermal, S.A. (1989, July) Bilateral Motor Coordination in 5- to 9-year old children: a pilot study. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Volume 43 Number 7.
Piek, J.P., Dyck, M.J., Nieman, A., Anderson, M., Hay, D., Smith, L.M., McCoy, M., Hallmayer, J., (2003) The relationship between motor coordination, executive functioning and attention in school-aged children. Archives of clinical neuropsychology. Elsevier’s Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.acn.2003.12.007
Roeber, B.J., Gunnar, M.R. and Pollak, S.D. (2014), Early deprivation impairs the development of balance and bilateral coordination. Dev Psychobiol, 56: 1110-1118. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.21159
Rutkowska, I., Lieberman, L. J., Bednarczuk, G., Molik, B., Kaźmierska-Kowalewska, K., Marszałek, J., & Gómez-Ruano, M.-Á. (2016). Bilateral Coordination of Children who are Blind. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 122(2), 595–609. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512516636527
Schmidt, M., Egger, F., & Conzelmann, A. (2015). Delayed Positive Effects of an Acute Bout of Coordinative Exercise on Children’s Attention. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 121(2), 431–446. https://doi.org/10.2466/22.06.PMS.121c22x1
Tseng, Y., & Scholz, J. P. (2005). Unilateral vs. bilateral coordination of circle-drawing tasks. Acta Psychologica, 120(2), 172-198.

Foundations of Wellness and Lifestyle Coaching

Dr. Michael Arloski/2 December 2021/ All MFN blog/

Having a foundation in coaching skills equips fitness professionals and wellness professionals to help their clients succeed at lifestyle improvement.

MedFit Classroom’s upcoming course will provide you with a thorough overview that enables you to be much more coach-like in your work with clients.

In the Foundations of Wellness Coaching course, authored by Dr. Michael Arloski, you’ll…

Learn how to help your clients go well beyond just goal setting and make use of behavioral change methodologies that create real progress.
Gain the skills needed to help clients mobilize their motivation to make positive lifestyle changes and accomplish goals they never thought possible.
Become proficient in having The Wellness Coaching Conversation, a conversation that demonstrates understanding while eliciting and empowering the client to choose an active role in their own health.
Through the use of select coaching skills training videos and demonstrations you’ll learn about the use of Active Listening Skills and Powerful Questions to help your clients assess their own wellness and develop a Wellness Plan for growth and change.
Gain accountability and support skills that ensure progress towards lasting lifestyle improvement.
Explore the use wellness and health coaching models and how they can be implemented in your setting.

This course is ideal for the fitness or wellness professional looking to either integrate the skills and methods of coaching into their own professional work, or to serve as an introduction to the path of learning how to become a health and wellness coach.

Dr. Arloski is a pioneering architect of the field of health and wellness coaching. He and his company, Real Balance Global Wellness, have trained thousands of health and wellness coaches worldwide. His book, Wellness Coaching for Lasing Lifestyle Change is a foundational book of the field, and his new book Masterful Health and Wellness Coaching: Deepening Your Craft takes the field to a new depth.

Creatine: The athlete’s supplement of choice can boost anyone’s fitness plan and health goals

Dr. Naomi Alberston/30 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

Long trusted by athletes and bodybuilders to help improve athletic performance, the muscle strength supplement creatine remains either unknown or shrouded in myth among the wider population. But increasingly creatine is being recognized by the medical community for the benefits it can bring beyond just athletic performance. From assisting in injury recovery to helping reduce the risk of falls in the elderly, creatine is a natural, safe, and effective tool all of us can use…

Sometimes It Hurts and Sometimes It Doesn’t: Information Set Theory of Pain

Jessica Cahen/29 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

Pain is an elusive concept. Sometimes chronic pain or discomfort occurs in muscles and joints without having injured the area where they’re feeling the pain and discomfort. Why? Why do some people who have structural damage to a muscle or joint (as shown by MRI or other test) have no pain in the damaged area, but . . .

The Three R’s: Reset. Reload. Reinforce.

Leanne Wylet/18 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

Before you can begin checking the boxes off above a baseline needs to be established. What is the best way to set a baseline that isn’t time-consuming? A Physical Therapist can test physical capacity, but will that give them the total picture? What if you are a health care provider such as a Massage Practitioner or a Chiropractor, or a doctor of an individual who wants to start an exercise program? How do you set-up a baseline of indicators to capture dysfunction at the level of the movement pattern, not just muscles/tissues that are weak or injured?

The quickest and easiest way I know of is a Functional Movement Screening and a Movement Assessment Screening. It is a ranking and grading system to measure asymmetries. If there is a pain in any of the movement patterns the activity is stopped and a referral is made. As a Functional Movement Specialist, I can do the movement screening with a printed report and corrective strategy exercises to reinforce quality movement patterns. This establishes a baseline to work from and retesting is done periodically.

The way this effective approach works: Each box needs to be checked off before you move to the next box.

The meaning of the three Rs is…

Reset

When a patient/client goes into a Physical Therapist for treatment, or Massage Practitioner for manual manipulation of muscles/tissues, or Chiropractor for a muscular skeletal adjustment. After the procedure the next step is usually, rest, ice, maybe some stretches and to review or start an exercise program. Ok, if this is the standard procedure followed, what is missing from this picture?

Reinforce

This next step is where I as a Fitness Trainer am highly effective, first with myself and now others. I took my twisted muscular-skeletal frame from a seat belt injury and started retraining the correct movement patterns by reinforcement. It takes about 7,000 repetitions of a movement pattern before it becomes spontaneous. What do I mean by reinforce? Reinforce means you either go back to what you were doing with the same faulty movement pattern and setting yourself up for needing another reset, instead of going in for a maintenance appointment. Keeping the cycle of dysfunction and asymmetries going that lead to dysfunction, pain and injury.

Reload

A combination of corrective exercises and conditioning work, such as using supersets to establish better hip hinging and then doing deadlifts, and then maybe add some kettlebell swings.

Reload the frame with the right resistance that maintains the right movement pattern exercises. I use a wide variety of tools based on the client’s needs and preferences.

Reset, reinforce and reload can be applied to both rehabilitation and exercise. In rehabilitation, Physical Therapist/Health Care Provider is working with pain and dysfunction. Exercise professionals work with dysfunction by setting up a baseline and reinforce correctives and conditioning to help prepare the individuals to return to a full active life.

I have successfully retrained my body after a seat belt injury that caused asymmetry imbalances, and now successfully use these remedial corrective strategies with my clients. I give my clients enough practice to learn how to move efficiently, and believe in open communication, taking after hour calls and making home visits.

Move well, move often, stay fit, live!

The Kettlebell Lady – Leanne Wylet, BA, ACE -NCCA, specializes in Orthopedic Exercise, Functional Movement, Hard Style/High Intensity Kettlebell Fitness, Silver Sneakers FLEX & Tai Chi Instructor works with the aging population. She has come back from a seat built injury that left her disabled and two major illnesses; her body is now restored. Taking the skills she’s developed, plus academic training, she works with individuals in all walks of life from youth to those in their golden years. Visit her website, kettlebelllady.com

The Case for Fitness & Healthy Aging

Nicholas Prukop/11 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

An important principle that has emerged throughout my writing on “healthy aging” has been the issue of fitness and the role being fit plays in preventing illness and injury, yielding a fulfilling and vibrant life – a “life well lived”. The point of healthy aging is to be in a position as we grow older “to do what we want when we want without getting hurt”. I have always believed that my level of fitness would yield positive results as I got older emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually – and so far I have been proven right in my own life. The “fitness lifestyle” is a consciousness issue just as healthy aging is as well. I make choices everyday that are designed to enhance my ability to live the way I choose. This always includes high intensity, focused training which will (hopefully) prepare me for the challenging years ahead.

Speaking, traveling, teaching, program design, consulting, writing and other activities that I wish to do in my future will require focus, high energy, inspiration, imagination, and physical stamina and endurance. The ability to train the way I am now will translate into the future actions that will yield the result I envision for audiences in the years ahead. Planning for a future that requires me to be prepared to do my work at a high level will also demand that I be as fit as I can be in order to give me the strength to help as many people as I possibly can – while I can. This is my mission – and my purpose.

This article is about something I think about EVERY day. Each of my actions, decisions, and thoughts are applied to the outcome that I seek with every step I take in becoming stronger, faster, quicker, more powerful, balanced, imaginative, flexible and skilled. My purpose is to be able to PERFORM at a high level even as I approach my 70’s and this is the point of my plan – and these articles in this series. How fit are you today for the future you envision for yourself? Does your vision inspire you to reach beyond your grasp? Does it “pull you forward” so that you will take the actions necessary to enable and empower you for the journey ahead? Only you can answer this question! Do it now!

Power, speed, quickness, strength, endurance, balance & flexibility: the “core” of healthy aging and growing old – not old.

I think of training in terms of performance and so much of fitness today is “gimmicks” – programs designed for the “few” in America who are NOT the obese, overweight, poorly trained, seniors, and youth. The “fatting” of America does NOT include practical programming on TV, the internet – or anywhere for that matter – that appeals to the average, untrained individual struggling just to live a ‘moderately’ happy life. I see this huge “hole” in our society everyday when I go out into the world where the “connection” between being fit and “regular” people is NEVER being made. To most of the world, fitness – or becoming fit – means acquiring a gym membership with all the “hassles” that implies and THAT isn’t healthy or inspiring at ALL!

I worked in the Nautilus and Bally’s systems as a trainer for over ten years and I never once saw the effort being truly made to help people “realistically” ACHIEVE anything. The world outside the gym is a giant “blank” for over two thirds of the population. The only thing I see that is visible today is elementary lifestyle “advice” on Dr. Oz and other related sophomoric network shows that really change nothing. The other major factor in the sales “pitch” to America on fitness comes in the form of “infomercials” that literally “sucker” people into buying USELESS stuff that will never really help them – EVER! The latest gimmick is the “abdominal belt” that will ‘melt” fat away with just 10 minutes a day! This is just the latest in the same old scam – “sell them anything and make a buck in the process!” What a disgrace and a shame that we have resorted to “hucksterism” in this country in order to sell the virtues of being fit! Jack Lalanne’s legacy has almost been completely forgotten today and I want to make sure I play my role in carrying the work he started so long ago forward with me. At least he TAUGHT simple exercises to people of all ages in the 50’s and 60’s with passion AND led them every step of the way during his shows. Those days are long gone!

When we think of helping people to become fit and healthy, we must always remember to train ourselves FIRST so that we can inspire others to do the same. I will not TELL anyone anything because for each of us our understanding and perspectives are different – just as each of us is different. I will always side with “being the example of the change I wish to see in the world” – the theme of my first article in this series. How do I retain my skill level with the “seven keys” of fitness highlighted above? I maintain them – and will elevate myself to higher levels of performance in the future – through my weekly weight training program, running 40 to 50 miles a week, stretching, and meditation. This dedication to fitness will hopefully allow me to do what I want, when I want, without injury and live with joy the active future of service I am envisioning for myself. I believe that with each passing day we are ALL falling ‘behind the fitness curve’ in life – whether we are training or not – and it is imperative that we translate our passion for being fit to others through our example. If we CAN’T DO IT, WE SHOULDN’T BE TEACHING IT!

Conclusion

My primary commitment to myself each day is to NEVER GIVE UP. If I am not sick or injured, I am training – training for my life to come and the role I have chosen for myself as “an agent of change in the world”. Each of us MUST decide what it is WE STAND FOR so that others can be inspired by our example. Jack LaLanne taught me through his example – as John Wooden did – that it is WHO WE ARE on the inside that will be the ‘key’ to inspiring and encouraging others to reach beyond their current grasp and strive for more than they ever dreamed possible. I am convinced every day by what I see in the world that what we have to offer the ‘many’ is desperately needed now more than ever. If we do not take up this challenge, who will? When will the REAL change come? It will only come when we change ourselves (on the inside – healthy aging is an inside job, remember?) and that is the greatest challenge that we will ALL face in life. It is worth fighting for this principle every day of our lives. Will you take it upon yourself TODAY and join me in this “journey of change” – and touch millions of lives in the process? I hope your answer is a resounding YES!

Article reprinted with permission from Nicholas Prukop.

Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach, a fitness professional with over 25 years of experience whose passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book “Healthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit” and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be – happy, healthy and fit – and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.

The Commodification of Medicine and Fitness: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Greg Mack/4 November 2021/ All MFN blog/

The need for medical and fitness services/products continues to grow. In the United States, and around the world. The corporate and industrialized delivery of medical and fitness products/ services continues to grow to meet increasing demand. Innovations in medical diagnostic technologies, surgical procedures, biomaterials, and medicines help individuals live longer, and with a higher quality of life. Technology and scientific research are propelling fitness product/service innovation with digital activity monitoring apps . . .

Choosing Appropriate Music for Mind/Body Classes

Robyn Kade/26 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

When creating mind/body fitness classes, we are never told which type of music is most useful or how to appropriately choose our music. An instructor will usually choose music for the sound that is pleasing to them. There is nothing wrong with this, and in fact, music is very subjective to everyone. Not everyone will like the same music that is chosen for the class. Some class participants may ask where you purchased your music, but you cannot please everyone with the music selection. You may be wondering how the brain picks up these frequencies and synchronizes them with its brainwaves. The brain can differentiate each sound frequency as it enters the brain through the ear. You may not know, however, that each frequency has it’s own specific purpose. For example, white noise is commonly used for helping individuals to get to sleep as well as calm the sound of Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears). Once you understand how frequencies work you can choose music that will produce a certain outcome. (National Institutes of Health, 2018)

Music and Stress

According to the University of Nevada, music can be a powerful stress reliever as well as help the mind to be more focused. (4) Choosing the right type of music for each class is critical in helping you to achieve the objective of somatic movement classes. It is known, for example, that faster music can make participants feel upbeat and be better able to concentrate. A slower beat can help you to quiet the mind and your class participant to de-stress. The University of Nevada says that music that is 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronize with the beat, causing alpha brain waves to initiate. This relates to sound frequencies that are 8-14 hertz or cycles per second. Alpha brainwaves are present when we are relaxed and conscious. Delta brainwaves are dominant at 5 hertz. Stanford University found that certain sounds tend to relax us more; they are Native American, Celtic, Indian stringed instruments, drums, and flutes. There is a song called “Weightless” by Marconi Union, which is said to be the most relaxing song in the world. They ask that you not listen to it while driving in the car. The specific purpose of the song is to help lower the heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and reduce levels of the hormone cortisol. You can play the song on YouTube for a thoroughly relaxing experience and then record how you felt in your journal. It is noted that individuals should listen to this type of music for at least 45 minutes to obtain full benefits.

Psych Central says that nature sounds are very beneficial in decreasing stress levels because of the external focus it provides. When playing nature sounds for somatic movement classes, you want to use real sounds of nature. Artificial sounds draw the participant into themselves and can have the opposite effect. Listening to nature for 30 to 40 minutes three times a week can profoundly decrease stress and cortisol levels. (5) When choosing music for the Mindful Stretch or NeuRoll Calm™ class, we ask that you use primarily natural sounds mixed with soft music. Isochronic tones can be used as well, depending on the goal of the class you are instructing. (3)

Nature sounds help you to focus internally

Nature and soundscapes are widely used for meditation, but the question is which sounds are best for our group exercise class or small group training sessions. As the instructor, you are setting the objective for each class, and you can choose the music accordingly. Both of these types of music have frequencies or noise colors, and each color can be used to elicit specific meditative responses. The colors are white noise, pink noise, blue noise, grey noise, violet noise, red noise, green noise, and black noise. According to audiology.com, the most common noise colors used in meditation are white noise, pink noise, and brown noise. You can tell the difference in the noises by listening to them one at a time. White noise has a higher frequency and is perceived to be louder than it is; think of a water fountain. Pink noise has a more resonant sound than white noise and has more of a balanced sound; an example would be a calm ocean, and brown noise sounds like a soft rumble like thunder or a rough ocean. (2)

White noise is a collective frequency of all noise and can block out or mask other sounds. Some individuals use a fan, for example, to help them fall asleep at night. White noise is the go-to sound for masking sounds that come from within. Tinnitus sufferers use white noise to mask the constant sounds in their ears. Tinnitus can sound like a heartbeat, swooshing noise, or many other sounds within the ear. Other benefits of white noise are improved concentration and sleep promotion. (2)

Pink noise is a popular alternative to white noise, and some individuals prefer it because of the more gentle, relaxing sound it makes. We recommend changing up the music because not everyone will always like the music you choose. Like white noise, pink noise also includes the whole sound spectrum, but it has a less harsh sound. An example of pink noise is rushing water or heavy rain. Pink noise is also used to block out other sounds and help with improved focus, alleviating headaches, and promoting sleep. (2)

Brown noise was actually discovered by Robert Brown, a botanist in the 1800s, who calls this Brownian Motion. Brown takes the low frequency of pink noise lower, so it sounds like a buzz. Brown noise sounds like rushing water with a low roar. Brown noise is used to help with relaxation or meditation, improved focus, and reading comprehension, as well as sleep promotion. This is also known as Brown noise because the change in sound signal is random.(2)

Noise Color Chart

Adapted from: Gulf Coast Audiology. “White, Pink or Brown: Which Noise Helps You Sleep Better? – Hearing Aids Hearing Loss: Pascagoula: Biloxi, Mississippi: Gulf Coast Audiology.” Hearing Aids Hearing Loss | Pascagoula | Biloxi, Mississippi | Gulf Coast Audiology, 10 Feb. 2016,

Binaural Beats

Binaural beats are another type of music that can be used by clients at home or whenever they feel stressed. The sound produced is relaxing as long as the hertz or cycles per second are within the right cycle per sound. Individuals usually listen to binaural beats through earphones to achieve the best outcome. Each ear typically has a different frequency than the brain is listening to. The frequency should be no more than 30 hertz apart for the brain to synchronize the soundwave. The only known side effect of binaural beats, when listened to through headphones, is seizures. If anyone chooses to listen to binaural beats on their own with headphones, it is recommended to consult with their physician first. If you are using binaural beats in class, it does not have the same effect. It is relaxing, but the brain can only synchronize the sound and pick up brainwaves through earphones. For now, we know that binaural beats can help with anxiety, memory, mood, creativity, and attention. The different brain waves are Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Delta brainwaves are synchronized with a hertz of 0.1 to 4, Theta brainwaves are noticed at 4 to 8 hertz, Alpha is 8 to 13 hertz, Beta is 13 to 30 hertz, and Gamma is 30 hertz and higher. (1)

Psychology Today says that individuals have decreased cortisol, increases in melatonin, and decreases in DHEA when listening to binaural beats. This therapy is also being looked into as a possible treatment for anxiety and pain reduction. It is essential to stay within the hertz ranges that are provided below. If you go higher than the recommended Herz range, the individual could end up with the opposite effect of what the goal for the class originally was. For example, someone who is looking for stress relief could become anxious instead. Music that pre-mixed already follows these guidelines. (1)

Isochronic Tones

Isochronic tones are single notes of tones that are spaced evenly to create a rhythmic beat type of sound. You do not need to wear earphones for Isochronic tones to be useful as they are a singular beat, and the brainwaves produced can be measured by an EEG test. Many Isochronic tones are mixed with soft music or nature sounds. According to Healthline, Isochronic tones may promote better quality sleep, focus, and attention, decrease pain, help with declining memory, meditation, and a more positive mood. Isochronic tones follow the same brainwaves as Binaural Beats. It is recommended to use isochronic tones when instructing mind/body classes. (1)

Binaural Beats and Isochronic Tone Brain Waves Chart

Adapted from: Booth, Stephanie. “Brain Health With Binaural Beats”. Healthline, Healthline Media, 14 May 2019.

The music for class should be either natural soundscapes with soothing music blended with it or Isochronic Tones-based, which you can find online. Isochronic tones can be sold as a full album or a single song. We suggest starting the music before class to help calm class participants and prepare them for Mindful Stretch™. The instructor should also use a natural voice and no microphone. A natural voice helps to elicit the relaxation response and enables participants to connect with you. Keep in mind that breathing from the diaphragm helps instructors not to strain their vocal cords. The volume of the music being played is essential as well. It should be just loud enough that everyone can hear but soft enough that you can safely talk over the music. If you feel that you are straining your voice, lower the music to a level that is comfortable for you. (3)

Robyn Kade is the Founder of The Stress Management Institute for Health and Fitness Professionals. She has 20 years of experience in medical-based fitness.

References

Booth, Stephanie. “Brain Health With Binaural Beats.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 14 May 2019,
Gulf Coast Audiology. “White, Pink or Brown: Which Noise Helps You Sleep Better? – Hearing Aids Hearing Loss: Pascagoula: Biloxi, Mississippi: Gulf Coast Audiology.” Hearing Aids Hearing Loss | Pascagoula | Biloxi, Mississippi | Gulf Coast Audiology, 10 Feb. 2016.
Kade, Robyn. Mind/Body Medicine Specialist Manual. 4th ed. / USA, Stress Management Institute for Health and Fitness Professionals, 2020.
University of Nevada Reno. Releasing Stress through the Power of Music, 2020.
Collingwood, J. “The Power of Music To Reduce Stress”. Psych Central, 2020.

What if I told you fitness is simple? Would you believe me?

Chris Stevenson/22 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

Health and fitness are, in fact, simple, just not easy. What you must do; move more, make better choices with food, stretch, strength train, etc. is really not complicated. However, making it a part of your lifestyle can be quite challenging. How do we deal with this? By helping clients to develop the proper mindset.

Like any aspect in life, if you have the right mindset, you dramatically increase your chance for success. Health and fitness success is no different. While there are many components that go into creating the proper mindset, I wanted to share a quick strategy that I have found to be effective for staying on track. I call it S.T.A.T. Not only is this a great acronym, but it also means to hurry and do something!

The “S” stands for schedule overview. Look at your schedule every week to see where you have the time to move more, strength train, stretch or prep some healthy snacks.

The “T” stands for time blocks. After you review your schedule, commit a few blocks of time to doing those activities and lock in the times. The more consistency you have in those blocks of time from week to week, the better.

The “A” stands for action plan. Once you have committed to time blocks, create a specific action plan for what you will do. As cliché as it may sound, failing to plan is planning to fail. Making the most of the time blocks is essential. What exactly will you do to move more? Jog, do a band workout, participate in a yoga class, etc.? Where will this happen? Are you at a gym, the park, or at home? Be very specific.

The final “T” stands for track your progress. Find metrics that are important to you and track those every four to six weeks. Metrics can include weight, body fat, body measurements, energy levels, blood work and more. The key is finding a metric which is personally motivating. When you track metrics, you either make progress or you don’t. If you see positive progress, it confirms the investment of time is worth it, which helps with motivation. If you don’t see progress, you can plan which adjustments need to be made to improve your results.

The S.T.A.T. technique is very powerful and can help cultivate a mindset conducive to taking those simple aspects of fitness and making them a bit easier to incorporate into your daily routine.

Join Chris for his webinar to learn more, Creating the Mindset for Change in Your Clients.

Chris Stevenson – former Power Ranger stuntman – is the founder of Stevenson Consulting, a full-service consulting firm based in Westlake Village, California. Chris’s current focus is to help businesses and entrepreneurs of all types maximize potential. His expertise stems from his 20 years of hands-on experience in all aspects of the health club industry.