Many adults and young athletes have ankle immobility or stability issues and you probably wouldn't know it.  When assessing clients, the first thing I look at are the ankles to determine if the ankles are doing their job when the client executes a movement pattern.  If the ankles aren't doing their jon, injuries occur.  This makes ankle care a critical part of your total joint care routine.
Here are some key points to help you understand ankle immobility and stability.


1.  The foot is the first point of contact with the ground in running, sprinting, and changing direction.  The foot has to sense the type of surface (hard or soft)and react to the ground forces. The ankle needs to be both stable and mobile enough to act as a spring to propel the body and a cushion for landing.  If the ankle is not able to move in its full range of motion, it will try to rob the knee for the mobility it needs to execute movement.  This is where many knee injuries occur.  Conversely, if the ankle is not stable (think, falling arches) then foot and ankle injuries are likely to occur.
 2.  Ankles that are either immobile or unstable, are speed, agility and coordination killers!  This does not mean that great athletes have completely healthy ankles.  Many athletes are great despite immobile or unstable ankles.  Even great athletes are at risk of injury and everyone wants an edge, to change direction quicker or to sprint faster.  
 3.  Everyone would like to feel better during workouts, practices and games.  If an athlete or client is complaining of lower body exercises being uncomfortable, it could be an ankle problem.  If they can’t get low enough into a stance, it could be an ankle problem.
 
4.  Prolonged bracing/taping of ankles, post injury and high top shoes contribute a great deal to ankle immobility.  Simply wearing low top shoes and discontinuing bracing and taping won’t improve ankle mobility, though that is the first step.  It’s critical that athletes stop bracing uninjured ankles.  Again, overuse of braces keep the ankles immobile and is a big factor in knee injury.  See #1.
 5.  Tight calf muscles can also lead to ankle mobility issues.  Spending some time foam rolling the calves before the ankle exercises may be necessary.

YOUR ANKLE CARE PLAN

Spending just a few minutes a day on ankle care can improve ankle health a great deal in just a few weeks.  Once ankles reach desired mobility and stability range, these exercises only need to be done a few times a week.  All of these exercises can be built into the athletes warm up or they can do them on their own.  

1. MOBILITY
Ankle Circles, Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion and Wall Mobility Stretch
Click here:  https://youtu.be/q77v3iaZBjU

10 circles both ways each foot
10 dorsiflex and plantar flex each foot
Wall Ankle Stretch: 5-10 each side.
When pressing the knee toward the wall, it’s important that the heel of the foot remain in contact with the floor.  As the ankle becomes more mobile, over time, move the foot further from the wall, working up to getting the foot 4-5 inches from the wall, and touching the knee to the wall with out the heel lifting and without discomfort.


STABILITY
Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion, Eversion and Inversion

Click here:  https://youtu.be/qEki53jBk-g
10 each foot for all 3.  

In Dorsiflexion pull the toe toward the shin.  In Eversion, turn the toes out at the ankle and Inversion, turn toes in at the ankle.


Toe and Heel Walks
Just like it sounds.  Walk 25-50 yards on the toes and then on the heels.
Click here:   https://youtu.be/1GnztIixzlA

​Now, go and get those ankles right!

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
​-Walter Scott

Everyone lies.  We've all been lying since we could form our own thoughts.  Little lies and big lies.  Lying is so normal, that choosing to be authentic will make you feel like a freak.

But, I'm not here today to talk about who's lying to who.  I'm here to open your eyes to the lies you're telling yourself.  

I polled my Facebook followers this week and asked the question "What lie have you told yourself?" And honestly, there weren't very many responses.  I didn't expect there to be.  Because many people have been lying to themselves for so long, that they believe everything they've told themself.  The responses I did get ranged from "I'm not an athlete" to "I can't do something I really want to do" and "He wasn't cheating on me"...

I've lied to myself too.  I've told myself I wouldn't get certain work in my field because I'm a female in my 40's.  I've told myself I don't belong in certain professional circles.  I've told myself that personal family issues weren't that bad and would resolve themselves.  I've told myself that there's nothing I can do about my poor genetics, and that's just the way I am.  I could go on, but you get the point.
We all do it.  We tell ourselves big lies and hundreds of little lies.  

In order to get out of the web of lies you've created, you have to be tough on yourself.
Grill yourself like you would if you knew your someone was lying to you.
  You're not going to own your lies at first, so you're going to have to keep interrogating yourself until you get to the truth.  This requires a level of humility that gets uncomfortable.  You may feel silly or like an idiot.  I've been there.  I get it.  I was the enabler of an addict, so trust me when I say that I know what it's like to lie to myself daily about something very serious.  Things changed for me when I started to question myself like I'd question a person lying to me...
"Is that REALLY true, Melanie?"
"Is that REALLY the best you can do, Melanie?"

Truth.  Freedom.  Relief.  Action.
The truth will set you free so that you can confidently go in the direction you were meant to all along.  
OR...
Keep telling yourself that there's nothing you can do about your poor health.  Or tell yourself, F my genetics, I'm finding a way to better health!

Keep telling yourself that your loved one's just going through a partying phase.  Or face the fact that they need help you can't give them.

Keep telling yourself that you could never do that 10 mile hike on that beautiful mountain out west.  Or get up every morning and workout to get strong enough to endure that hike.   

Keep telling yourself that you're too old or too young for the career you want.  Or figure out who you need to help guide you toward the career you want.

Keep telling yourself that you're not good enough.  Or FIND A WAY TO BE GREAT!

By now, you've probably realized you're a liar and that you're the problem.  Humbled?  Good.  
Now, the work starts.  Free yourself from the lies and begin to act on the truth.  When you do this, your health, career, personal life will all be in your control.  
But don't get too comfortable, because you're always going to have a propensity to lie to yourself.  
The trick is to catch yourself as soon as it happens and change the story before it goes too far.
​Good luck!

Nothing just happens.  We are a result of what we say yes to and what we say no to.

We live in a YES world.  I've said "yes" to things that have hindered my growth as a professional and as a mother, wife and human being.

I've listened to the wrong people and got nowhere.  I listened to my own limiting thoughts.  But somewhere along the way,
I WOKE UP!
I realized the common denominator was me.  ME! I was the reason I wasn't getting anywhere.  Ugh.  Talk about humbling.

The realization that it was ME standing in my own way, was humiliating!  I've felt like an idiot at times.  But realizing that I was/am the one responsible for not getting anywhere with my life, health, and professional goals is also empowering.
I became empowered when I realized I could control MYSELF way more than I can control another person or system.  

The thing is, most of us don't recognize what or who is limiting us.  To know that, you have to strip yourself bare and peel back the layers to find what's holding you back.  Is it the people around you?  Is it a system you've bought into? Is it YOU?  Is it one thought?
Be brutally honest with yourself as you ask yourself these questions.  Hire a psychiatrist or life coach if you need to.  But get to the bottom of what it is and don't stop searching until you find it.

Only once you begin to question everything, can you begin to do the work it takes to be exactly what or who you want to be.

You're going to feel isolated in this process, because very few people are willing to do it and almost no one will understand you.
 
I get it.  I've been criticized and laughed at when I've told people what my goals and aspirations are.  I've been dismissed and ignored.  I've been made to feel uncomfortable when I've said NO to something that didn't serve me well.  But I stay the course and I do the work.

Very few people will get into the work and realize there's just 1 or 2 things they need to change.  More likely, there's going to be quite a few things you need to change and that's hard.  It will feel overwhelming.  You can choose not to bother.  You can convince yourself that you can't deal with the overwhelming right now.  But, beware!
That's your limited belief system talking.  
Your limited belief system is your problem and no one else's.  So if that's where you choose to stay, you're going to become more and more limited with each passing day.  You have to live with that.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE.
Live in the discomfort of your limiting beliefs, and continue to just sort of float through life... Or, challenge your limiting beliefs every single day and do the opposite of what those thoughts tell you.

Ask yourself this.  Do you want to survive life or do you want to thrive?  
Are you willing to eat, sleep, think and act differently?  Are you willing to get uncomfortable in a whole new way?
Or are you going to settle with the same old discomfort of complacency that you're used to?  Are you ok with not getting what you really want or are you ready to get uncomfortable enough to go for it?

Challenging your limiting beliefs is HARD! It will be brutal, infuriating and you will probably shed tears along the way as you say good bye to things that don't serve you.  

You're going to want to give up.

This is where NO comes in.

Say NO to anything or anyone who threatens to hold you back.  Say YES to whatever will propel you.
Accept that you're going to be and feel awkward.  

Then be a sponge and soak up all of this newness.  Be ready to learn everything you can.  Be ready to experience new things.  
Be ready to repeat the process as many times as necessary throughout this life.  
There is no end to growth.

Now, get out there and get uncomfortable!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
4 eggs
2 TBSP water
1 TSP sea salt
1 TSP garlic powder
FRESH mozzarella
Marinara
Dried oregano and basil 
Arugula (about 2-3 cups)
Olive oil: drizzle
Fresh lemon or lime (couple squeezes

"Dough" Instructions:
1. Mix the eggs and water
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well
3. Let it sit for 5 minutes for the mixture to thicken
4. place parchment paper on a flat baking sheet
5. dump the coconut flour mixture on top in a heap
6. Place another piece of payment paper on top and use hands to soothe it out until it forms the shape of a pizza crust.
(NOTE: the mixture will not be the consistency of regular "dough" so don't worry).  
7. Remove the top piece of parchment carefully and fix the edges with your fingers
8. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes

Toppings Instructions:
1. ​While your dough is baking, sautée your toppings: Organic sausage, mushroom, onion and sweet peppers are my go to.
2.  Add sea salt, pepper, basil, oregano and garlic powder 
(NOTE: sautéing your toppings before hand will prevent your pizza from getting soggy).
3. Mix Arugula with lemon or lime, olive oil, sea salt, pepper and a bit of shredded parmesan.

Put it all together:
1. remove the "crust" from the oven
2. Add marinara (as much as you want)
3. Add fresh sliced mozzarella 
4. Add the cooked toppings
5. Return to oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes
6. Remove and let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing
7. add the fresh arugula to the top of your slice and enjoy!

Takes 30 minutes!

The days of the 9-5 job seem to be a thing of the past.  It seems as though fewer and fewer people work traditional hours in traditional jobs.  Entrepreneurs seem to work every waking second.  Many people work 3rd shift jobs, and more people are working a full time job and going to school at the same time.  Even those who do work traditional 9-5 jobs have piling responsibilities from kids, to side hustles to hobbies.  

Stop thinking of your workouts in terms of days of the week.  Realistically, you are probably not going to have time to exercise every single day.  Ideally, for weight loss/maintenance and strength building, training most days of the week for at least 45-60 minutes is your most direct approach to reaching your fitness goals.  But what if you simply can't?  If you're working 12 hour days, 3-4 days straight, getting in a 1 hour workout is really hard to do.  Most of us have a day or more out of the week with very little time.  Getting exercise in with a full schedule requires re-wiring how you think about daily exercise.  Think in units of time accumulated vs days exercised each week. 

Basically, it means you will accumulate your 5-6 hours of a week of deliberate exercise over the course of the entire week.  If 20 minutes is all you have Monday through Wednesday, then get done what you can in those 20 minutes whether its cardio or strength training, or corrective work.  On the days you are less strapped for time, get as much done on those days as possible.  Finished with your strength training session and have some time to make up?  Add 10-20 minutes of HIIT work. Have you gotten to Saturday and there's parts of your plan you didn't get to?  Fill in the holes on Saturday and cover any of the exercises you didn't get to yet.  
​

MRPT clients can look at their program for the entire week ahead of time.  If an app user doesn't have time for the whole workout planned for Monday, they can do Tuesdays shorter workout instead, on Monday.  Perhaps they opt to get part of that workout in, and then make up the rest the next day or later in the week.  Whatever works for that individual.  Not only does this eliminate excuses, it encourages taking ownership of ones schedule and health.
Some clients discuss special strategy with me, such as how to fit in workouts while traveling, and some are able to figure it out on their own.  Either way, there's an app full of people who are getting it done by the end of the week one way or another.

Kids can be time suckers. I know you want to be present for every single breath that little one takes.  You must watch every single second of T-ball practice.  You're worried they will be traumatized if they spend a couple extra hours at daycare.  They won't.  Few things are more valuable than your kids watching you get stronger and healthier.  Sitting in a lawn chair while they practice, chatting it up with the other parents or sideline coaching serves no value to your kids.  They really don't care if you're there and trust me, the coach wishes you would just shut up or volunteer your time to actually BE a coach.
Your kids will model what you do.  Let your kids see you get a run in while they're at soccer practice.  

Do some squats and push ups while you're out there.  If the daycare is good enough for your kid to be at while you're at work, it's good enough for them to spend a couple extra hours there while you workout.  

On game days, show up with nothing but laser focus on that kid and his team and cheer them on with everything you've got, but for goodness sake, stop wasting your time watching every practice!
​
The same goes for your career.  
​If your career actually requires you to work every second of every waking hour (it probably doesn't), is this career worth having or should you actively seek something with more balance?  Or are you just a work-a-holic who doesn't know how to set professional boundaries or step away and take a break for your own sanity and health?  
(been there, done that).  
Is your job more important than your health?

What's important.
Strategy.
​Planning. 
​
Let's GO!

Through my health coaching, the number one push back I hear is "I don't know how to cook veggies so they taste good".  
So let me keep this really simple.
1.  Make a salad and eat your veggies raw.   
or
2.  Roast them.  Pretty much any veggie can be laid on a baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and roasted.  I usually roast for 15 minutes on 450.  

There you go.  Now you have no excuses.  It's time to a grown up and eat your veggies.  It will take 15 minutes.  
Eat them every day.  Eat a variety.  Keep trying new veggies and ones you haven't had in a while until you like them.  

I'm not gifted with great genetics.  I'm not naturally athletic.  

I was extremely pigeon toed as a child to the point where I was picked on for it.  I was a slow runner.  My triples in softball should have been home runs because of my slow running.  I "fixed" my pigeon toes on my own and then my hips started to pop and hurt after I ran.
I kept going.

I climbed trees as a child and had constantly bruised shins and sap in my hair to show for it.  I rode my bike everywhere.  I played Wiffle Ball and Cops-n-Robbers until dark.  In the winter I LIVED for sledding!  I ran straight into a tree once and it rung my bell.
 I kept going.

My ankles were weak.  I had them taped before every soccer game so I could run without pain and swelling.  Often the girls teams were last in the training room, because boys were more important.  So I learned how to tape my own ankles.  
I kept going.

I played sports all through high school.  Soccer, swimming and softball.  I was a decent softball pitcher but was scared of the role.  I had a great arm, thanks to my brother who wouldn't let me "throw like a girl".  In soccer, I was known for my powerful throw ins and could put the ball wherever I wanted to.  Swimming I just did to stay busy and I wasn't great at it, but it led to a job lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons in college.
I kept going.  Actually, that's a lie.  
I stopped.

I had my first child at 21, got married before I should have, divorced 5 years later.  During that time, I never lost the "baby weight".  I was instantly an adult who had to survive and raise a human.  I dabbled in "working out" but mostly just survived.  I dealt with anxiety during this time, but I didn't know what it was.  I kept it to myself because I thought I was crazy.
I survived.

I got remarried and had my second child at 36.  Before I got pregnant, my workouts consisted of a 1 mile run, 25 crunches and 25 push ups.  (I know, I know, CRUNCHES?).
FACE PALM.
I didn't know what to do, I just knew I needed to MOVE.
I kept going.

I started p90x after I had my daughter.  It was ok.  Mostly annoying.  I eventually started reworking that format to fit my needs.  
I kept going.

I decided I wanted to be a "personal trainer".  I had no idea what that meant but seemed like a fun job.  Got certified and a few clients right away.  I had no gym, just my own basement or clients homes.  I winged it, but...
I kept going.

Nutrition was a major roadblock for me personally.  I was eating very low calorie and dealing with significant digestive issues and in pain all the time.  I saw several Dr's who had no answers.
I kept going.

With help of a Nutritionist, I got the digestive issues under control and then a problem with my right knee popped up.  A cyst nestled between my ACL and Meniscus according to the $1600 MRI.  I saw the best orthopedic Dr. in the area.  I was prepared to schedule surgery to have it removed.  Instead, he said I was too old and that I needed to "leave the training to the young guys".  I was 40.
I kept going..... ish.

For over a year I did little to no lower body weighted exercise.  I stopped running completely to keep the cyst from filling with fluid.  I became lower body weak and was not happy.  But I kept working and training.
I kept going.

Eventually, I found ways to train around the cyst.  Studied the knee extensively and eventually found that my hips were not mobile and my knees were taking on a lot of what the hips were supposed to do.  A lightbulb went off.
I kept going.

I found Corrective Exercise and the FMS (Functional Movement Systems) areas of study as a result of my own issues and have used that education to become an expert in reducing injury risk and healing injury.
Because I kept going, I have taken my road blocks, and turned them into opportunity.
I keep going.

Opportunity has never ONCE knocked on my door.  I've had to hunt it down, grab it by the neck and struggle to make it mine.  EVERY.  SINGLE.  TIME. The cards have always been stacked against me.  Listen carefully to me when I say
I DO NOT CARE.
I WILL ALWAYS KEEP GOING.
​

If you made a New Years resolution to lose weight, get fit, build strength or become a healthier person, chances are that resolution is starting to crumble.  But I'm here to tell you, it's probably not your fault and you can turn that bus around today.

Look.  Here's the truth.  Very few people on earth actually want to work out.  Very few people eat foods they know are not good for them "for no reason". (There's always an underlying reason).  Very few people take ownership of the fact that their lifestyle choices are the reason for their poor health.  Very few motivated people know what to do when they get to the gym.  Very few people set realistic goals.  Those are the reasons people give up their resolutions mid-february.  It has less to do with your will power and more to do with the fact that the odds are stacked against you.

STEP 1: ACCEPT THE SUCK
First, accept the fact that you are going to have to get uncomfortable.  Physically, mentally, and maybe even emotionally.  Accept the fact that this is going to be hard and may take a long time.  Accept the fact that you'd rather be eating pizza than salads.  Be willing to get to the bottom of why you eat how you do and be ready to find a professional who can help you address emotional eating if that's a problem for you.  All of that is going to suck at first, but accepting the suck has to be the first step.

Go head... take a deep breath right now, and accept the suck..  I will wait.....

Congratulations!  Step 1 is done.  You will repeat step 1 every day, sometimes several times a day until it becomes second nature.  This is the only way to embrace the grind of daily workouts and eating daily nutritious foods.  

STEP 2: OWN YOUR CHOICES
This is crucial so read carefully.  You can not change what you don't take responsibility for.  You have to own it and be honest with yourself.  Now read even more carefully.. DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER YOUR CHOICES.  This is counterproductive and does't create an environment of learning and change.  You've got to be honest with yourself from a place of love.  

STEP 3: GET HELP
Even the most self-motivated people don't actually know how to workout for specific goals or eat for weightless in a way that's sustainable.  Every advertised workout plan is "THE BEST PLAN EVER" and every diet is "LIFE CHANGING".  That's a bunch of crap.  The messages you're getting from Planet fitness to Crossfit and from the Keto followers to Paleo lovers are that their way is the only way.  Complete lies based on selling memberships and products.  Case in point.  If you've heard of the Ketogenic diet, you've probably heard you can eat as much bacon, butter and cheese as you want.  LIES!  You can't eat large amounts of those foods in the name of a "Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet and lose weight or maintain.  You will likely hit a wall at some point and shove as many carbs as you can in your mouth (this is called a binge and can bring serious physical and emotional consequences).  Does this mean Keto isn't good for you?  Maybe, maybe not.  It does mean that you should find what works for you under the help of a professional who can guide you and tell you the truth whether it's Keto, Paleo, Whole 30 or whatever.

From Beachbody, to crossfit to Planet Fitness.. there are so many confusing messages about working out.  If you've tried more than 1 program and didn't get results, then it's time to get expert programming designed specifically for YOU.  If that person isn't me, find someone who's qualified to assess you personally, help you address any movement dysfunction and who can build you a plan that helps you reach your specific goals.  I have nothing against any of the mentioned programs, however those are not for everyone.  I know people who do crossfit with great success.  I know more people who've gotten injured doing crossfit and who've been emotionally damaged from the program than those who've had great success.  That raises an eyebrow for me.  If that's the route you go, proceed with caution.  Globally advertised programs that come with expensive shakes also raise eye brows as those programs are missing crucial pieces of the exercise science puzzle and chances are selling those expensive shakes are probably not going to bring you "financial freedom".  
When it comes to the opposite end of the spectrum, Planet Fitness... you should know  they intend to collect your $10 a month and hope you don't actually come.  They do, however have very nice equipment...just don't fall for the pizza Fridays.  They're purposefully sabotaging you to get you frustrated so you stop going...but they know you will never cancel that $10 monthly membership.  Brilliant business model.  Horrible for the consumer who get's caught in the trap, but great for the consumer who realized the trap and uses Planet Fitness' low cost fee to get access to great equipment.  I have many clients who have memberships there who access their MRPT workouts in the app while at Planet Fitness.  But I always warn people and make sure we are setting the expectations appropriately.

If you do one of the above mentioned programs and have had success, I congratulate you.  I'm not criticizing those programs, but I am giving people who haven't found what works for them perspective.  If you need that perspective take it from someone who's been in the business for 7 1/2 years, who walks the walk, who is highly educated in weight loss, functional movement, corrective exercise and strength & conditioning and works in the field all day every day.  People like me...we know a few things and we will help you set realistic goals that set you up for success, not failure.  We will assess body type, genetics and other factors to help you navigate roadblocks.  We have a profound understanding of the SCIENCE of exercise and ART of coaching.  

Do not listen to the advice of friends who aren't experts and watch out for people pretending to be experts.  If a friend can't seem to get their health, weight and fitness under control, then they won't be able to help you to make lasting change.  This is the unfortunate truth.  

Do you have questions on where to start?  Do you have roadblocks you'd like to discuss?  Hit me up.  If I don't have the expertise to help you, I will find someone who does.  

SUPER EASY THAI TACO RECIPE:

Add the following to a crock pot set to low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours:
Organic Pork loin or chicken breast (1-2 lbs)
1-2 TBSP Coconut oil
Sea salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, and any asian spices you like (don't overthink how much, just dump that stuff in there)
Siracha (don't worry how much, just sprinkle that stuff on there)
Sesame Seed Oil (just a little)
Fish Sauce (Just a little)
Let it cook and shred with 2 forks when it's finished.

Serve in Cabbage cups and eat like tacos with the following optional chopped fresh toppings:
cilantro, fresh lime, radish, carrot, cucumber and green onion.

The garnishes really make this!  

Make enough for left overs.  Add more of any seasoning to taste and enjoy!
                                           

Are you a breakfast eater who's short on time, and loves cereal?  This recipe is for you!
I know what you're thinking.  "CEREAL?  There's no way she eats cereal!"

Well, you're right.  I don't eat cereal as you know it.  I don't even eat breakfast for that matter, but I often have this for lunch.  
Here's how I do cereal.

Dump it in a bowl and mix it up!  
Takes 1 minute or less to make!
It's healthy, filling and tastes great.
​
Feel free to omit or swap out any ingredients.

To order Vital Proteins Collagen Protein Powder, click here
http://tracking.vitalproteins.com/SH1YZ

Note:  Vital Proteins Collagen Protein Powders are not sweetened.  If you prefer a sweeter flavor, you may want to add some pure stevia, monk fruit extract or honey.  I am a Vital Proteins Affiliate and I do get paid if you order from that link.