Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The "Donna Domino"

I just finished a session with a girlfriend and she reminded me the value of my unique approach to training and movement coaching. As it has been said before ‘there are no wrong or unsafe exercises- just incorrect execution leading to injury or an ill informed- ill prepared body performing the exercise’.

A perfectionist @ heart (driven by an ego that fears being ‘wrong’) my client/ friend kindly gave me a new insight to the value of my pedantic/ precise coaching. She called it the “Donna domino effect”.

What this client was referring to was her new found understanding of how her body functions and the fact that no one has ever taken the time to ensure she ‘gets it’.

My focus is connection and understanding. Core strength and stability work are phrases that are now part of our everyday language. You don’t have to be a gym bunny to know what these phrases are referring to.

The missing link to that ‘knowing’ and physically connecting to and understanding the true value of these (and many more) ‘gym’ phrases is me! Gaining an edge is all part of the plan for most people. Athletes want the edge on competitors and other teams; corporates want an edge on the market and competitors; Mr & Mrs ‘round the corner’ want the edge on the neighbour or ‘Jimmy’s’ parents at school.

To gain the edge on any level means one has an advantage; one has insight and understanding that they embody and have as part of them. The edge is within, it is not an add-on. To have the physical edge you want to have a Definite Edge. Donna’s domino effect provides a connection to exactly that… an edge; the edge; your edge.

My client saw the ‘domino’ knock –on in her physicality when she finally ‘got’ what it actually felt like when she consciously felt her pelvic floor contracting. Previous to today’s jubilation she had a cognitive understanding of what she was doing and why, but it wasn’t until she not only felt the pelvic floor move, but also the flow on from that of her Centre of Gravity being stabilised as a result.

What my client felt was the pelvic floor being contracted without all the usual movement cheats that the body innately does (thinking it is helping). What she felt was a conscious squeeze of the muscle; the resultant internal pressure that contraction produced and the flow on shift of the Sacrum (tail bone) which locked her Sacro- iliac joints into place (anatomically called “forced closure”).

The excitement around this was not just the fact that she felt all this happening on her command, it was the fact that she linked the functional benefit of having TRUE stability so that she didn’t “hurt” herself when she trained!

You see, why my dear friend finally came to me was b/c she had been through as many personal trainers and gyms as she’s had birthdays. (not to mention the thousands of dollars spent at her local physical practitioners- no need to name these here as she has been through all the modalities you care to list!)

My friend (like most) had almost given up the goal to be fit; healthy & pain-free. She just accepted that her ‘problems’ were part of getting older. To me she came because I’ve recently moved to the same suburb as her, so we meet at the beautiful Bondi beach to train.

Like most people of the 21st Century my friend saw exercise as a chore and spending time REALLY looking after herself and putting her physicality first was just too time consuming; effortful (energetically)
and a luxury (financially).

My passion is to get people not only moving but moving with conscious connection to that movement and enjoying it! So, my friend has had a physical shift in understanding and connection to the functional anatomy of her body, and as a result is confidence she won’t hurt herself. She now actually engages the necessary support to ensure she doesn’t load and strain her back. To her exercise equalled pain, so mentally it was a battle to get going and stick with any level of activity.

A chore no more, my friend I am excited to write is training daily AND loving it! I receive a message every couple of days updating me excitedly about her progress AND her enjoyment of the new journey she is skipping along, and the fact that she is not only doing all this without flaring up her ‘problems’ she is actually moving better than she can remember.

So how can knowing this help you?
I am here to offer direct/ hands-on help and assistance to those in the Sydney region. Those geographically disadvantaged a Definite Edge is only an email away!

Me and all my hats are going global with free online training tips; downloadable programs and blog articles which will include: Definite Edge™ Training (personal and corporate) - Aussie Possum™ (CST Coach) and Posture Plus™ (posture corrective stretch therapy program and products… Posturenasium™ & Stretcharium™ online coaching)

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Soon to come on you-tube you will see a new level of instructional/ coaching detail, new indepth remedial detail to training with the goal to inspire and excite all those whom join me in the Posturenasium™ and Stretcharium™. CSTers you will gain new insight and progress exponentially with your mobility and clubbell swinging achievements.

A public congrats goes out to my dear friend Phillipa. Well done girlfriend, thank you for enduring my picking and taking in all the tips and corrections (and thank you for premising me to share all this).

Heres to you and your progress and to happily talking about all body functions and ‘getting’ it!


Movement is not an inconvenience
Donna/ Coach Eddy
(aka- Aussie Possum)