massage and fitness (as well as old posts) at my new website!

Greetings, fellow humans!

For those of you who have been on this journey with me for a while it will be no surprise, but I'm taking the "Next step" and moving my blog over to my new website!

Also, feel free to like and share my facebook page if so inclined,
 or follow me on instagram.

All of your favorite recipes and videos will soon be available, but through this page:

http://www.mothehuman.net/blog/

My first post to the new blog is here in reference to the importance of sleep and some simple tools to improve your sleep.

For now, old posts will still also be available on this blogger site as I transition everything over.

Luckily, I'm so busy giving massages and coaching people on efficient, safe exercise that I don't have a ton of computer time available in my schedule.

Thanks to all of you for all of your support.

OK, now go outside and play!



                                                                                        Much love and respect,  Mo the human

Natural Human Movement videos

Greetings, fellow humans!

As a reminder, I am happily now offering top quality "mo-ssage" and one on one holistic fitness coaching at Synchronicity Wellness in Asheville! 

Regardless of what part of the world your ancestors came from, it's safe to say they moved a lot. They walked every day, the squatted every day, and they lifted things every day. Perhaps, they even ran every day. Think of it like this:

• Graceful

• Efficient

• Powerful…

• and PLAYFUL!

This is how you and I were meant to move.

Unfortunately, for many of us, modern life has disconnected us from how our body was meant to stand,walk, sit, lift, play, dance, and run.
By re-integrating our natural, ancestral movement patterns into the context of our modern life,
my approach to “natural human movement” encourages movements and postures that are helpful rather than harmful to our physiology.
The result is a safe, enjoyable approach to attaining our full human potential for movement.
When we view our own health from the ancestral health or biological perspective, we start to ask: “What was our body designed to do?”
This perspective shifts us toward a more natural, whole foods way of eating. Similarly, this perspective must also take into account how we move.

In an effort to share some  ideas on how our bodies were meant to move, I am in the process of co-creating a series of short videos on ePhysiologix. Below is a link to some of what has been published so far:

http://www.ephysiologix.com/fitness/naturalhumanmovement/

some individual links are below:


Tap/click here to watch:   Squat to sit/ squat to stand: 

Tap/click here to watch: Self massage of the calf (this one is more "self care" than natural movement)

Tap/click here to watch: Run like an animal, not a machine  (a one minute "selfie" showing what gentle trail running can look like)

If you want to see an older (and much longer) video with a somewhat in-depth explanation of why we have lost our natural human gait, and how to begin regaining it,

Tap/Click here to watch: Grace in every step 

It's a wonderfully cold and soggy day as I look out the windows from my beautiful work place.
As "old man winter" sets in, it's easy for many of us to just snuggle up on the couch, enjoy a warm beverage, and watch movies. I'm not suggesting for even a second that you miss out on these truly wonderful comforts. However, it's worth mentioning that you were meant to move. Enjoy these moments of relaxation, but also take every opportunity to move.

OK, Now go outside and play! 

                          Much love, -Mo the human

The most technologically advanced shoe ever made.

Greetings, fellow humans!

There is a shoe available which is far beyond any technology we normally associate with sports equipment. It is equipped with thousands of microscopic sensors designed to make the sole adapt instantly to changing terrain and traction environments. An extremely powerful, yet portable data processor constantly monitors the information coming from each shoe making minute adjustments with every step to ensure a smooth and efficient gait whether walking, hiking, or even running.

While not suitable for use in every sport, these shoes are extremely lightweight and supremely comfortable and breathable, with a truly custom fit for every athlete. Unbeknownst to the general public, many top athletes and training facilities have used these shoes for some or all of their training with overwhelmingly positive results.

With proper training and frequent use, these shoes can help build maximum core strength, coordination, efficiency, and balance in athletes and normal people of all ages.

These shoes, sadly, are not for sale... The good news is, you already have a pair! We are referring to the natural human foot. 

Over one billion people are currently using the most popular shoe on earth: None. While the unshod populations of the earth do have many struggles in life, their feet are remarkably healthy. 

Those of us who have spent most of our lives in shoes, however, are in need of a serious "software update" to take advantage of our feet. Once we learn how to feel our feet, we can then move on to building the necessary strength and flexibility to take full advantage of our truly amazing and capable feet. I have seen bunions, hammer toes, plantar fascia issues, knee pain, and even back pain improve tremendously through carefully training and regaining a natural human gait. If you have any interest in getting back in touch with your feet, consider the "sobriety test" as a careful first step into an exciting new journey.

Finding Your Natural Human Gait Step 1 

The “Sobriety Test” Exercise: 

Teaching Your Brain to See with Your Feet 

Expect this to be a joyful, but possibly very slow process. Different people learn at different speeds. Approach this as if you are gardening. You cannot force a plant to bloom. As such, do not force your feet or brain to adapt too quickly. Let this be a short time you take every morning to experience the sensation you brain has been hungry for since childhood.

1.     Start completely barefoot on a flat, hard, smooth surface such as a wood or stone floor.

2.     Stand for a moment and gently shift your weight from foot to foot without lifting either foot off the ground.

3.   While looking forward (not down) with a soft gaze, begin lifting each foot very slightly, then gently placing it onto the ground before you slowly lift the other foot.

4.     With a soft, relaxed ankle, place one foot just barely in front of the other foot, then WAIT for the front foot to “invite” your weight onto it. This will involve some gentle contraction of the Gluteal and hamstring muscles in the back leg.

5.     As you shift your weight to the forward foot, gently lift the back foot without “pushing off”. 

6.     Repeat at a slow, gentle pace. If you are “thumping”, slow down.

7.     Try the same movement walking backwards. Notice the sensations in your feet.

After some time, you may wish to experiment with some different textures: rough surfaced concrete, dirt, etc… eventually even gravel. Do not rush this. With patience you can avoid possible injury as you slowly regain a very gentle and joyful gait. In time the muscles, tendons, and bones of the feet will become stronger as your brain-foot connection becomes “smarter”.

If you would like additional resources, click here.

OK, Now go outside and play!
                                       Much Love, Mo the human                

Run like an animal, not a machine.

Greetings, fellow humans!

First of all, let me say... I know next to nothing about competing in races of any distance.

I have worked on thousands of runners in my massage therapy career, many of whom have been quite accomplished competitors. However, I personally have little to no interest in competition. I'm not saying you should not compete, so much as I'm saying my approach to running is kinda the opposite of a competitor's mindset. Competitors seem to view their runs in miles and times, pacing, training schedules, etc. I do none of that. I'm not saying competitors don't enjoy their runs, but based on what I hear from the competitors I know, it seems like there's a lot of suffering going on there. (and quite a few injuries as well.)

 I consider running to be "PLAY" and not "EXERCISE". Not that no exercise comes from running, but I think if you goals are to"get in shape", running is an inefficient way to do so.


I run for 2 reasons:

1: Sheer JOY! (see 1 minute video below, or TAP/CLICK HERE if on a mobile device)

2: Quick transportation. (Walking is not as fast as running, even for a slow runner like me.)



About four and half years ago, I couldn't even consider running. Luckily, I was opened to a whole new approach that truly changed my life.

Thanks to a re-learning of this basic human skill, I can run again in a joyful and pain-free manner!



 If you want to go "further down the rabbit hole" on techniques for regaining a gentle, non-impact gait, watch the video below (or TAP/CLICK HERE if on a mobile device). Even if you are a competitive runner, I think this approach can lead to a more efficient and pleasure-filled run. The first 12 minutes is where I describe how and why the important first step in learning to run is learning to walk with a natural gait. The rest consists of a lengthy Q&A/discussion of ideas.

If you want to read more on some of my favorite resources, bunions, plantar fasciitis, and my favorite shoe options go here.

                                                     OK... Now go outside and play!      Much love, Mo the human.

Grace in every step: Regaining our natural human gait

Disclaimer:
As with everything on this blog, I am not telling anyone else what to do. I'm merely sharing my own experiences in exploration of human health. Think. Learn. Be your own teacher.

If you live in the Asheville area, you are lucky for a wide variety of reasons. One of them is that Synchronicity Wellness has gotten in the habit of hosting monthly "Paleo Potlucks" which are announced on the "Paleo Asheville" facebook page. At these events, I've met some wonderful people and had some truly amazing food. No wonder some folks call paleo eating "the foodie's diet"!
 I have also greatly enjoyed the various talks given at these potlucks. Each speaker has brought to the group a whole new perspective on a different subject. It's really cool to see how this "paleo thing" is encompassing so much more that just the classic diet and exercise stuff!

In October I got to give a talk at one of the potlucks regarding natural human gait.
The "lecture" is about 12 minutes, followed by a lengthy and somewhat funny Q&A/ discussion.
To watch the video click here:

If you watch, please let me know what you think. 


If you'd like some additional resources, including loads of shoe options that I consider healthy for our feet and Books for runners... Click here:

A simple exercise I have used with considerable success to regain a gentle, natural human stride is what I like to call...

The “Sobriety Test” Exercise:

Teaching Your Brain to See with Your Feet

by Mo Goldstein, happy human

Expect this to be a joyful, but possibly very slow process. Different people learn at different speeds. Approach this as if you are gardening. You cannot force a plant to bloom. As such, do not force your feet or brain to adapt too quickly. Let this be a short time you take every morning to experience the sensation you brain has been hungry for since childhood.

1.     Start completely barefoot on a flat, hard, smooth surface such as a wood or stone floor.

2.     Stand for a moment and gently shift your weight from foot to foot without lifting either foot off the ground.

3.   While looking forward (not down) with a soft gaze, begin lifting each foot very slightly, then gently placing it onto the ground as you lift the other foot.

4.     Gently place one foot just barely in front of the other foot, then WAIT for the front foot to “invite” your weight onto it. This will involve some gentle contraction of the Gluteal and hamstring muscles in the back leg.

5.     As you shift your weight to the forward foot, gently lift the back foot without “pushing off”.

6.     Repeat at a slow, gentle pace. If you are “thumping”, slow down.

7.     Try the same movement walking backwards. Notice the sensations in your feet.

After some time, you may wish to experiment with some different textures: rough surfaced concrete, dirt, etc… eventually even gravel. Do not rush this. With patience you can avoid possible injury as you slowly regain a very gentle and joyful gait. In time the muscles, tendons, and bones of the feet will become stronger as your brain-foot connection becomes “smarter”.

OK, now go outside and play!

                                                                          Much love, -Mo the human

How NOT to learn barefoot running!

Behold... The Brooks BEAST! (My old "foot coffins" that made natural, gentle running impossible.)

Below I am pasting A re-post from Steven Sashen at xero shoes... (my favorite sandals) 
for more, look at my resources page.

Enjoy!-Mo the human


(Read this online at www.xeroshoes.com/transition)


I was on a panel discussion about barefoot running a while 
back. At one point, someone in the audience asked,

So how do I transition to barefoot running?

Quick Note -- while this is about running, if you're not a
runner this story is still relevant and important for you.

Okay, back to the story.

Before I could respond to the question, a well-respected 
physical therapist suggested the following:

"First, switch to a slightly lower-heeled shoe than what 
you have. Run in that for a few months. Then switch to a 
racing flat, maybe one day a week for a while… then add 
an extra day every month, until you can run in those. Then 
maybe try something like Vibrams on a soft surface, like 
grass in a park. Work up to being able to run on the grass... 
then try a soft dirt path. Eventually you may be able to run 
on hard surfaces, but don't do that too often. And I don't 
recommend being totally barefoot because you could step on 
something."

The only reason I didn't interrupt him was that I was in shock!

I had never heard anything so insane in my life. Until he 
he tossed out his next bit of barefoot running advice:

"Expect to spend about 2 to 3 years making the transition. 
That's how long I've been doing it and I'm still not there."

That's when my shock gave way to action, and I took off the 
politeness gloves.

"Hold on," I said, "this is completely upside down and wrong!"

Danny Abshire from Newton jumped in as well, "Right, that's 
backwards."

I'll tell you what Danny and I proposed, instead, in just a 
moment. But first, let's back up to the question that started 
it all.

"How do you transition!?"

The idea built into the question itself seems to make sense. 
If you're wearing a motion-controlled shoe with a 3″ heel 
and a $400 orthotic, it seems logical that you need to slowly 
wean yourself from all that support. It seems clear that you 
would need to get comfortable in a lower and lower heel until 
you're ready for barefoot.

But as we've already seen in the previous days of this course, 
things are not always as they seem.

Here's the bottom line:

There is nothing that "prepares" you for being barefoot.

Nothing.

Not "zero-drop" shoes (where your heel is at the same height 
as the ball of your foot). Not Vibrams. Not a thinner insole. 
Not even Xero Shoes (more about those in a second).

Anything that you put on your feet will change either your 
stride and biomechanics, or the amount of sensation you're 
feeling in your feet (or both) compared to being barefoot. 
So once you take off your shoes, or fully feel the ground, 
you'll need to learn to move differently.

Here's where some people stop reading what I'm saying and 
respond with two arguments (to points I'm not making).

First, they'll say, "Oh, so you're some sort of barefoot 
purist! Who are you to tell me what to wear or not wear?"

To be clear, I'm not telling anyone what to wear and I'm not 
saying barefoot is the only way to be. Admittedly, the 
majority of my time I am in Xero Shoes, but not always 
(more about when I'm not, and when you shouldn't be in 
an upcoming lesson).

This article is about the myth of "transitioning", not 
about your footwear, or lack thereof.

Secondly, people will say, "Yes, but switching to a racing 
flat or zero-drop shoe will give your Achilles time to 
stretch and strengthen, and that better prepares you for 
being barefoot."

To them I say, "Not always. And for almost everyone, your 
Achilles has more than enough stretch. And, even if it were 
true that you needed to stretch your Achilles, there's a 
better way than spending 2-3 years to make that happen."

Keep in mind that the biggest reason for going totally 
barefoot is that feeling the ground with your skin gives 
you the most feedback about your form. Feedback that, if 
you attend to it, can inspire you to change your gait to 
something more efficient, easy, and natural. Running in 
Xero Shoes is, really, the same... if they covered 
everywhere you stepped in 4-6mm of flexible rubber.

All the other shoes I've tested reduce the amount of ground 
sensation you feel so that you don't get the feedback you 
need to adjust your gait.

I've seen hundreds of people in VFFs or racing flats who 
still heel strike or have some other gait pattern where 
they aren't getting much if any extra "Achilles strengthening 
and stretching".

So, what's the better way to "transition" that Danny and I 
chimed in with?

1) Take off your shoes (or put on your Invisible Shoes), 
find the hardest and smoothest surface you can find 
(like a bike path or street) and run.

2) But only do it for about 200 yards.

3) See how you feel the next day.

You may be sore, you may be fine. If you're sore, wait until 
you're not. Then go try again, and add 100 or 200 yards. Repeat.

I think of this as the "Shampoo method" of barefoot running. 
Instead of "Lather, Rinse, Repeat," it's run a little, rest, 
repeat (and run a little more).

Keep in mind, there are two types of soreness. One is from 
using muscles you haven't used in a while, or using them in 
a way you haven't used in a while (if ever), or using them 
a bit more than usual.

The other is from doing something wrong. Like doing way too 
much distance (which part of 200 yards was confusing to you?), 
or trying to stay on your toes without letting your heels 
ever touch the ground (Not necessary... land mid- or forefoot, 
but your heel can touch down. No need to do 200 yards of 
calf raises).

In other words, a little soreness is probably normal. A lot of 
soreness is telling you to try something different.

And this idea that you need to be on soft surfaces. Completely 
wrong. And wrong for the same reason that you don't want to 
be in cushy running shoes.

Give yourself a soft surface and the odds are good you'll 
heel-strike. Plus, soft surfaces don't give you the feedback 
you want, the kind that can help you quickly learn a new 
and better way to run. I've seen barefoot runners who've 
only run on grass, and they usually look like shod runners 
who lost their shoes.

Instead of thinking that you can work your way to barefoot 
or huaraches slowly, go there immediately. But work your 
way up in time/distance slowly.

All the strengthening that you want to do before you run 
barefoot, you'll get that faster by running barefoot.

All the stretching you need (if, in fact, you need any), 
you'll get that by building up your distance, slowly.

To misquote Yoda's famous "There is no try. Only do." 
There is no transition, only run (or walk, as the case may be).

Oh, and in the next lesson, I'll share some of the most 
important tips about exactly HOW to walk or run barefoot, 
including some suggestions that, frankly, I never wanted 
to share with anyone... shhhhh.

Let me know what you think. Go to www.xeroshoes.com/transition
and add your comments.


Feel The World!
-Steven Sashen, CEO

Resources for natural foot health and reclaiming your natural human gait.

Greetings, fellow humans! 

As of 4-4-15 this post (after some editing) has been moved to my new website:

www.MoTheHuman.net

Thanks for your support over all these years!

Much love and respect, Mo the human

What IS "paleo"? (No loincloth required...)

What IS paleo, anyway?... It's probably not what you think.
When it comes to "eating paleo" my first month of trying it out blew my mind!

As it gains momentum, and more people begin looking into it, I expect that many folks will attempt to define it in varying ways. As someone who has been exploring it for almost 4 years (a "newbie" by some standards) I feel a need to add my voice to the online conversation.

As with anything that threatens the current norms, "Paleo" (aka the Ancestral Health Movement, aka Primal, Real Food, Clean Eating, etc...) is quickly dismissed by many as a fad: "You know, that silly caveman diet."...

 Except that it's growing, and doing so quite rapidly. Thousands of people are finding vitality, energy, and health that they previously thought impossible. Of course, we will expect some backlash. Some people are already calling it a cult. Obviously, none of these people have actually looked into it much:

Paleo is the OPPOSITE of a cult.

A cult is a group of people who unquestioningly follow a leader. The members of a cult look to the leader for their answers. A cult worships a specific deity... A specific "truth" of how the world is.


Paleo is a COMMUNITY.

We question everything. Not just "DIET and EXERCISE" but all aspects of how we live our lives. There are some mothers, farmers, biologists, doctors, writers, coaches, playful movers , acupuncturists, diabetics, and nutritionists who are major contributors to this community... and the list keeps growing! There is even a network of paleo physicians. However, since there are no "leaders", Paleo is completely decentralized. We (including you, if you're actually reading this) are a large, and rapidly growing worldwide community. We come from different religions, ethnicities, political alignments, etc. We are a diverse group of people who are willing to ask a simple question:

"What if we are wrong about this?"

This question leads us to seek real answers from a multitude of sources. Yes, we ARE learning from our grandparents, but also from much further back in time. We are looking at more than just how we eat. We are learning not just from our ancestors, but also from the latest scientific breakthroughs. We are also learning from looking at the remaining societies of "primitive" cultures today. We are trying these various ideas out, and seeing if they work (or not). We are taking control of our own health, with seemingly miraculous results. And, I might add... having a GREAT time doing it! There are huge, international Facebook groups, and small, local ones. In a matter of seconds, you could find one in your town. Those of us in Asheville, NC have a great resource in Synchronicity Wellness.

Many folks in what is now often referred to as the "Ancestral Health Community" give credit to Weston A. Price as being the father of this movement. He was a dentist who travelled the world and noticed that so-called "primitive" cultures had far greater health than the "civilized" folks. Anyone with rural farming roots knows this.  Many of us have very old relatives who had glowing health despite eating "all the wrong foods". And NO, we don't hate vegetarians... many of us used to be vegetarians!

For many people, they find paleo through crossfit. (Which, by the way, is also NOT a cult, but a community of people who love what they do and constantly question the details of their beliefs and methods in regards to exercise.)

My introduction to this shifting, formless community was through vibram five fingers and the barefoot movement people. (also not a cult.)

My introduction to the nutrition aspect was from Robb Wolf's book "The Paleo Solution." Robb Wolf presented a very appealing challenge to me. It was roughly this:

"Don't believe anything I say... God love people who think! Prove me wrong... Try it for a month, and see what happens!"

So... There you have it.
Make caveman jokes if you want to, (we think they're funny too).
But, seriously... Don't knock it 'till you try it.