I overheard a conversation this past week that made me laugh.  It reminded me a little of the "my bike is bigger than your bike" taunts that you hear from the mouths of 5 year olds...except this was between 55+ year olds!  And, it wasn't about bikes, or toys or paychecks...it was along the lines of "well, I was hitting tennis balls at this point after my shoulder surgery!"

Most people like to have a fairly consistent, predictable routine.  I suppose it's the sense of being in control and knowing what is coming next that gives us comfort.  There is usually some level of panic or anxiety that sets in when we are faced with needing to make a choice and wondering if we made the 'right' one.

For those of you who have never heard of Seth Godin, he is a marketing genius who has written a dozen best sellers that are fairly short, information packed and extremely thought provoking books.  He has a great blog that you should check out as well here.  

Back in school for Physical Therapy, we were taught the 'normal' ranges for movement, strength and flexibility.  We were taught to test our patients and note if they were within normal limits.  One thing I've learned over the years is that, for people, normal is relative and personal.  People really have their own 'normal' to strive for and shouldn't be placed on an arbitrary scale with others.  

If you're like most people, you have more questions than answers about what the 'new' healthcare system is going to look like.  One consistent part of most conversations is that co-pays and deductibles will go up, if they haven't already, and people will need to become more proactive about taking care of their bodies.

We all know it.  We practice and we get better.  Not necessarily better at what we want to do better.  Just better at what we practice.

Doing something requires brain/muscle/nerve communication (both sending and receiving).  When we practice something over and over, our brains and muscles 'learn' the pattern in a process called 'motor learning.'  After a while, the movement(s) get processed on auto-pilot.  We start the thought and then the pattern takes over.

I just finished reading a report of a research study from the December 2009 issue of PM&R: The journal of injury, function and rehabilitation.  The title of the report gave the conclusion of the study...Running in Shoes Stresses Hips, Knees and Ankles More Than Running Barefoot.  Now, you see why I had to read this one...

I've been coaching my kids for about 5 years now in t-ball, baseball, soccer, flag football and basketball.  When I started out, I used to think it was about me coaching them.  I would coach them on what seemed so intuitive to me...and they wouldn't get it.  I suppose I was giving them too much information or maybe too much at the same time...like drinking water from a fire hose!  Hmmm...I cut their food into small pieces so they don't choke, so why wasn't I coaching them that way?!?

...is that it makes us work!  Gravity pulls us down and we need to consciously fight against it to keep our bodies upright.  Or else we'll be in a ball on the floor!  In other words, we need to take action, be aware of our bodies response and then adjust.  Too many times I see people who are in pain but refuse to take action.  Or, almost equally bad is addressing the symptoms but not the cause...because it's easier. 

It is easier to take a pill than do some exercises, right?  It may even make you feel better.  But, it's not fixing w