Last Saturday, I was at our relatives for a 50th Birthday Celebration. During the course of the evening, fitness and injuries came up as one of the topics. My ears of course immediately zoomed in on this conversation during which I mentioned my phrase – “to live is to squat.”

I have had clients tell me that they are not supposed to squat past 90 degrees or that the human knee was not designed to bend that deeply. My response has either been a. “Well, clearly 80% of the world’s population has not gotten that memo because a deep squat is a way of life in most parts of the world” or b. “And how do you get off the toilet, out of a chair, out of the car, off the sofa?”

I firmly believe that we must continue to work on our ability to squat if we want to continue to have a functional life as we age. In many cases that has meant learning how to squat correctly maybe for the first time in one’s life. What are the parts of a squat?

1. Butt back – you have to get back on the toilet.
2. Knees in line with the 2nd/3rd toe – not letting the knees ‘dump together’ as they bend.
3. Keeping a neutral spine – so that back maintains its natural curve and doesn’t go into a rounded back position.

My knees are in much better shape since I have been doing deep squats and heavy lifting in Crossfit and Pilates. I will definitely not be adding the handicap bars in my bathroom as I age. I will keep my glute and knee strength so I can do a comfortable squat my entire life.


Back at the family gathering, we ended up having a little ‘squat fest’ to practice. The pics are not great but it was a lot of fun.

There’s a new trend to do all your exercise in a hot room. First it was the Hot Yoga. Now it’s everything from Pilates to Weight training to Whatever. Use your head. What’s coming out of your pores is not some toxic waste dump – it’s just sweat. And don’t fool yourself; just because you’re sweating doesn’t mean you’re working hard. You’re just sweating.

Maybe a warm room helps your muscles warm up. But that is what a warm up is for – to get your blood from the inside circulating in your muscle cells so they are ready to work. Maybe you can warm up a little faster in a warm room and are able to stretch a little better at the end because you are warm. But please, think for a moment.

If you were to do your same workout in a regular room temperature and you find you are not sweating, it’s because YOUR WORKOUT ISN’T HARD ENOUGH. No Crossfitter would ever request a hot room – they’d be throwing up because their workouts are hard enough without any added heat. They don’t need an artificial way of creating the false illusion that they are working hard. And my Sunday morning Level 2 clients are constantly requesting doors and windows open – even in winter to keep from overheating.

The one other thing I wonder about this heat thing: What happens to your muscles when you go from 100 degrees into the freezing cold? It seems to me that they would tighten up dramatically and then where’s the benefit?

I may end up eating my words but it seems crazy to me. Can’t we just get a good, hard, sweaty workout and leave it as it is?

I’ll step down off my soapbox now.

Most of my clients and friends have heard me tell stories of growing up on a farm in Minnesota. I think they are amused by the image of me tromping around in workboots, covered in dust, hands dirty and greasy hands from working on the machinery. Or the vision of a grain bin so filled with dust and chaff that you can’t see that there’s actually someone inside until I come out – the only part recognizable is my ever sunburnt nose.

The life on the farm made me who I am. The ability to problem solve and think outside the box are essential for a farmer. Working hard and seeing the rewards of your own labor too are part of the farmer’s life. These and more are part of the fabric of farm life. These stories are part of my heritage and I hope to share them with you.

Truth be told though, I am not an authentic farm boy. While we did indeed farm full-time we actually did it part-time – which means we had to work even harder to get everything done. Let me explain.

As my Grandpa (Dad’s Dad) was phasing out of farming, my Dad started taking over the farm a little bit at a time. We lived in a northern suburb of Minneapolis. My Dad was teaching Industrial Arts in the Public Schools while my Mom taught Home Ec. Grandpa’s Farm was just 50 miles away but a very modest farm (that is another story) for that part of the country. In fact he he had mostly farmed with mules. So on the weekends, my older brother and younger sister and brother went with Dad and Mom up to Grandpa’s mostly to visit but of course Dad was helping out on the farm that he grew up on.

At some point in my early childhood though, our visits to Grandpa’s farm (Grandma had died when I was 3 or 4) became more frequent and at some point we were not visiting but going – not to Grandpa’s farm but to the farm. I don’t remember how it happened but the next thing you know we were farming that farm. I remember riding with Dad on the tractor (by then had 2 small Ford tractors). When Dad would plow the field with a little 2 bottom plow, I would sometimes run behind in the furrow (the 12″ trough that the plow made as it turned over the soil) looking at worms and how smooth and cool that clay soil appeared as the plow turned it over.

I remember riding along in as we combined the soybeans or oats. (Is there anything as satisfying as seeing a wagon fill up with grain? It is a feeling of abundance and security and grace). The next thing you know, I was driving the tractor myself, bouncing over the plowed fields as we got them ready for planting. I really don’t remember how old I was – 10? – except that I had to hold on to the steering wheel to keep from falling off. My older brother must have been on the other tractor in another field and maybe my Dad was busy getting the planter ready. I don’t exactly remember what age we all were but on the farm, everyone starts young. Everyone had a job according to their ability. Weed pulling starts very young.

By the time, I was in 5th or 6th grade (we went to school in ‘the cities’), we had horses which meant we were baling hay. I also think we had 3 tractors by then – including a larger Case tractor. And at some point, our whole summer was spent on the farm as well as every weekend and holiday in the spring and fall. And by the time I was in Junior High School we had bought more land and could be considered a small full time farm. Years later when we started calculating the time spent on the farm versus our time in the city, it really was half time in each location. Sometimes we would even head up to the farm right after school to check on the horses and pigs and then come back that same night since it was only an hour commute each way.

Every Friday, right after school, we got in the car and drove to the farm where we unloaded the car and went right to work until Mom called us in for supper. Saturday morning started early since we essentially had to cram a weeks worth of field work into 2 days. My Dad, older brother and I would go out to the shop to get ready or work on some piece of machinery before breakfast. Saturday morning breakfast was almost always cornbread with butter and syrup and lots of milk from the farmers next door. And then out to the field or the shop to work.

Because my Dad is a talented mechanic, he bought used and often broken down machinery which he then fixed up. Sometimes it did seem that we spent more time fixing than using. But the life of any farmer is not for the faint of heart. Any romantic notion of daintily gathering eggs is quickly squashed when a tractor gets stuck in the Minnesota spring mud and you’ve tried to rock back and forth to get the tractor out only to sink deeper into the ruts. Then you have to unhook the piece of machinery you’re using and you slip and fall down in the mud and your hands are covered in mud because the hitch is down in the mud. And still you’re stuck. So you have to walk home through that mud as it sticks to your boots which get heavier and heavier and it’s starting to rain. That’s farming.

There were many, many times I hated that farm. I wanted to be doing what other kids at school did in the summer. I wanted to go to summer school and work on art projects or build something or just play. I wanted to not have to work. I wanted to sit around and read. And yet. And yet here in my middle ages, I tell people that I grew up on the farm when that is only partially true. And the stories I tell are the stories from the farm. I remember school of course but I actually have very few recollections of the city outside of school.

My memories are of working the fields, singing to the horses, baling hay and harvesting the soybeans or oats. There are vivid images of my sister and I pulling mustard and thistle from the oats field. We had lots and lots of big elm and cottonwood on the farmstead itself. But we often had dinner – which is at noon on the farm by the way – under this big basswood tree right near the house. These are memories of a whole family working together in both strife and harmony. All of these are rich and rare memories that made me who I am today. The varied and ever changing life of the farm was hard and hard work. But I wouldn’t change it now for anything. The uniqueness of that life is maybe more striking today since I’m a ‘big city boy’ now but it is a story of a lifestyle that really is mostly gone. And I feel lucky to have been so close to the earth, the seasons, that cycle of life and the hard work that becomes the life of a farmer.

For years I have not done Bicep Curls. You know – the dumbbells in the hands as you bring them up to your shoulders, either alternating arms or both arms at the same time. They are not part of the Pilates repertoire and Crossfitters definitely make fun of them saying they are not functional movements and silly. And for years I said the same thing.

Not so any more. It started when I realized that in spite of my Pilates and Crossfit workouts, I was not building the kind of body I wanted. I admit it, I am shallow enough to say I wanted pecs and biceps. And it wasn’t happening. So I thought, “Screw it, I am going to go back to old school bicep curls to pump up my arms”. And so I started with 15#ers and worked my way up.

Naturally, I brought my Pilates brain to the exercise. So I made sure that I wasn’t swinging my body around to do the exercise. I kept my body in good alignment and didn’t let my elbows either brace against my rib cage nor move from their starting position. And what did I discover (to my chagrin)? The shoulder stabilization that takes place during a correct (in my opinion) bicep curl is amazing and incredibly valuable.

Most of us in our modern world are pulled forward too much in our shoulders so our rotator cuff muscles and the shoulder blade stabilizers are weak because they are in a too-lengthened position for them to work effectively. But if you stand up straight, pull your abs in and, without moving your at your elbows, do a bicep curl, your shoulder stabilizers will be the muscles that fail first. The rhomboids, traps, rear deltoids as well as rotator cuff muscles will get a terrific workout. Triceps will also work.

If I allow my body to swing around and use momentum to do the curls, I could probably use 45# dumbbells. But doing them correctly? I am back at 25# in order to do a set of 8 or so (per arm). They are hard! I can feel all of this terrific shoulder blade stabilization that is so important for good posture. Yes, my biceps fatigue and they are getting a workout but how amazing to feel my back working so well and so right. Yes! it feels right – like this is the way my upper body is supposed to function.

And so bicep curls are back. For me and for my clients. We work hard at shoulder stabilization in all planes of movement. And if you think this stabilization is not functional, think again. When my clients are lifting up their babies (or holding anything out in front of you for that matter), those exact shoulder stabilizers must ‘kick in’. When carrying a laundry basket full of laundry, those muscles need to work. If you’re carrying anything heavy out in front of you – whether a sofa or a load of lumber, the stabilizers must work.

Lesson learned. Try it. Feel it. Analyze those feelings. Question your previous assumptions and understandings. And then evaluate. I found that bicep curls are not nearly as silly as I thought. On the other hand, “there is no bad movement, there is only movement done badly.” (Ron Fletcher – original Pilates master teacher)

At Mind and Body, naturally, we continually strive to ‘put your brain in your body’. Joseph Pilates’ famous quote is of course – “It is the mind that builds the body.” This is more than an abstract concept. It really is at the very heart of a. getting the most out of every exercise, b. feeling and understanding what your body is doing and c. becoming your own teacher as you dialogue between body and mind to improve your body.

When I am taking a class or doing my own workout, I strive to see what I am doing by watching my alignment either for myself (why mirrors in a workout space are so valuable) or by what my teachers may observe. But I also ask myself. “What am I feeling? Am I feeling what the teacher is saying and if not why not?” and “How could I improve this exercise for me (and in turn, for my clients)?” I have had many experiences where what the teacher was saying was not what I was feeling. In many cases, it is because the teacher themselves had not asked that question of themselves when they were being taught.

And I have learned from it. Exercises that I had previously dismissed as being counter productive or even contra-indicated for many clients have come back into my repertoire because I found a new understanding of the exercise because of what I started feeling on my own body and not what any teacher had said about it (unfortunately). It is hard when you have been taught that an exercise is bad or dangerous to try the exercise with an open mind. And fitness trainers of all ilks are guilty of dismissing exercises out of hand.

One of my clients yesterday used the phrase ‘using a Zen/Yoga mind to do an exercise’:

• What do I feel
• Where do I feel it
• Is my alignment correct
• Does it make sense
• Does it fit with my understanding of the body

Maybe this is too much to think about when all you want to do is get a good workout.

BUT THIS IS HOW YOU WILL GET A GOOD WORKOUT. If you can put your brain in your body, your workouts will be more efficient because you will get more out of every exercise. When you put your brain in your body, the movement pattern in the exercise can then translate more easily to your other activities athletic or just in daily living. When you put your brain in your body, you body will work harder, more efficiently and get injured less because you are bringing awareness to real, actual functional training. And putting your brain in your body is the only way to truly transform your body.

“There is no bad movement, there is only movement done badly” – Ron Fletcher – Pilates Master.

I just finished taking a Ballet Barre class locally and came away very frustrated as well as tired. It was a hard class and the exercises were generally good, valuable, hard, fatiguing and doable. Mostly. I took ballet as an adult years ago so I had some experience to fall back on to say nothing of my Pilates experience which teaches AWARENESS and PRECISION. However, in this class there was so much to work on in order to get all the pieces moving together in a coordinated fashion with sacrificing technique.

And when the teacher said ‘And now double time’ – I knew there was no way I could keep it all together so I just kept going at the same pace – mostly. But all of the girls (6 in the class) gamely tried to do the double time. And FAILED – 100% of them. It irritated me that the teacher didn’t look around the room and say, “Wow, they’re not getting it – they look like shit doing this. Maybe I should just go at the old tempo and work on technique”. But no. Choreography is everything so she just kept forging ahead.

“There is no bad movement. There is only movement done badly.” This has been the theme for this week. It is also one of the foundational principles of my teaching.

Pilates is all about getting it right and getting it right at the beginning – as much as possible. True ballet starts with Barre work so the student can get the movement correctly and slowly before starting to move faster so that when the student gets to floor work, they know what they should be doing and where they should feel it and what it should look like. Not so in Ballet Barre.

I know how hard I was working to get it right. It was doable but hard. There was nothing wrong with the exercises, except for the speed and the inability of the students to do them. My rule for teaching is that if more than 85% (or so) can’t do the exercise, there is something wrong with my teaching (communication or demonstration) or there is something wrong with the exercise. Too damn fast!!

At what point will these girls get it right? If they keep coming, will they get strong enough or flexible enough to make the correction? Not if they have been practicing the movement pattern incorrectly, with the wrong muscle. Either make the movement less complex or slow it down so the brain has a chance to learn and catch up.

It’s fine that they all felt tired and worked out (as did I) at the end of class. But wouldn’t it be better if they learned about their bodies as well as worked them? If they learned where turn out came from? If they learned that knee and toe alignment are important for knee health? If they learned where their spine was in these various positions? If they learned how to STABILIZE their spine and core while moving their limbs rather than shaking around like an aspen tree?

This Ballet Barre class was both better than I expected – not too many repetitions, decent variations, good movements and as bad as I expected – lack of technique, lack of correction, too much speed with too little stabilization. I’ll go back – because I know what I need to work on and I am still hoping to get to the splits sometime in my lifetime. But I will only ‘double time’ it when I know that my technique won’t completely fall apart. Because that is how I’ll get better. If I keep repeating a movement badly I will become very proficient at moving badly. Not pretty. And not helpful.

For years, I would never sweat when I worked out. I always assumed it was because I was thin and cooled down quickly. Even so, my ears would get really, really hot – they almost felt like they would burn up and fall off. Several of my friends said I needed to drink more water and I dismissed it because I did drink some water and ate fruit and vegetables and usually had a bunch of milk every day.

But I decided to read up on dehydration and did a google search; the sheer number of hits was astounding especially on the topic of ‘chronic dehydration’. Several sites suggested that a large percentage of the population were chronically dehydrated. They also suggested that to reset the body’s hydration meter would take a few weeks. I decided to give it a try.

At first it was hard to force myself to drink water often. I often added some lemon to make it more interesting. But as I kept at it, I did notice several changes.

• I started sweating. During my harder workouts (especially Crossfit) I would start to more than glisten – I would actually sweat!
• I started feeling thirsty. I think I reset my thirst reaction and wanted to drink more water
• I think my moods evened out. This of course is subjective but it really does seem to correlate; I find myself much more even tempered (unless I get too hungry of course).
• I think my skin is a little smoother although I am not as sure about that one

So, drink your water. Force yourself to drink several glasses a day. What could be an easier cure for so many ills?

2 days ago, my right foot started hurting in a way that I am sure is exactly the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis – an inflammation in the fascia of the bottom of the foot that can make walking painful with lots of pain on the heel. Inflammation would usually indicate some icing and rest and maybe some stretching. But I’m stubborn. And curious.

So I didn’t ice (which I do think would help) but no rest although I wore shoes more carefully and tried to not irritate my heel more. And I started stretching. Exploratory stretching – always trying to feel what made it felt better. Logically, I would think some tight calf muscles or arches would help. They did – a bit.

But over the years, I have learned that the body is a fascinating puzzle that has its own understanding. My job is to try to decipher my own or other people’s bodies’ organization. Years ago, I had just a touch of Plantar Fasciitis and surprisingly it went away when I did exactly the wrong things: I started jump roping at Crossfit more. And I started running the stairs more. My theory is that constant controlled stretch on the foot helped the fascia loosen up. Maybe. But you can’t argue with results and my foot pain disappeared.

So I’ve been stretching. Calf tightness? Yes. Arch tightness? Yes. (BTW, I am doing the stretch on the unaffected leg to compare. If my right is tighter than my left, I conclude that on some level it has to be contributing to the foot pain.) But surprisingly, glute stretches – figure 4 and pigeon and especially intense hamstring stretches have made the most difference. It almost completely disappears after some hamstring stretches. Maybe the fascia down my entire leg is a little stuck and the stretches are helping loosen that up. I’m not sure but it is working.

Lesson learned? The most obvious is NOT always the right answer and to keep looking around my body – asking and learning what I need to do to heal myself. I need to become my own diagnostician. It’s fascinating to learn the language of the body. And that knowledge might then possibly (but not always) be applicable to another of my clients.

It’s great to have a career that fascinates even after 16 years.