MELT Matters
From Sue Hitzmann, the creator of the M.E.L.T. Method®
The common thread between countries and cultures
Today I presented MELT for the very first time internationally. The Aerobic & Fitness Association sought me down to present for them at their convention here in Barcelona earlier this year. My worry was if MELT would translate to other countries.
As with all of my presentations, I always ask this questions, "How many of you today have a body pain or ache?" at the start of my session. Although I have yet to see one obese person anywhere in this beautiful country, the common thread between this culture and the US is PAIN. As it is when I present in the states, the majority of the room raises their hand to this question. So what I have learned is, regardless of race, culture or country, pain in all humans is the one thing we have in common. It's common, it's constant, and most of us have it.
I've done a lecture, "The 7 Secrets to Longevity" and one workshop so far "GET MELTed!"
Same results, same WOW factor, the only difference is that it took a bit more time as I had to slow down for my translator Laura to translate my words to Catalan. I had to speak in small segments (no easy feat for a NYer like me who tends to speak quickly and in long, run on sentences!) But it was actually a great learning curve for me as it made me slow way down, pause (something I never do), and only convey the real "nuts" and important aspects of what I was trying to say. (Funny thing was, even my humor came across which was another worry - I tend to be a bit of a clown to get people out of their "thinking" self and in their body. Laughing is a good thing for the body.) But they did laugh and they experienced the changes I hoped for with the foot treatment and the full body techniques.
Though we only did the MELT Core Treatment (3-D breath, Neck Decompress, and Low Back Decompress) all 3 technique yield specific changes and they all got great responses.
I am happy that I only have one more session tonight and then 3 tomorrow.
So tonight is "The Longevity of Structure and Function" another workshop. More specific, which I hope is a good thing.
My goal is that people leave know how to use these applicable techniques in their private practice. Time will tell if MELT will spread through Spain.
More to come!!!
My Internal Clock Is NOT Setting...
I'm on day three here in Barcelona and I must admit, my internal clock is not setting just yet. It's 7:30am (that's like 1:30am in NYC) and I feel like my brain is disgusted at the fact that I am awake so early.
Regardless, I have done my morning ritual of drinking a rather large glass of water and MELTing my feet which is only now stirring my appetite and getting me ready for what looks to be a beautiful day.
It's been a bit overcast for the last two days - perfect for touring around the city streets without sweating to death. Not only is this city stunningly beautiful, I have to be honest and say the people are just as lovely. Compared to the states, I have yet to see one obese person anywhere - even most of the tourists are of average size. The natives here however are not much of a "workout" folk (I have yet to find an actual gym though it's not mattered much. In the hotel there is a beautiful deck with a wading pool where I have spent an hour each day making up my own workout, stretching (getting odd looks from the few people I've seen up there.
Here people don't eat dinner until at least 10pm. I ventured out last night about 8:30 figuring that was late enough and although the two restaurants I picked looked completely empty, they said, "So sorry, we are fully booked..." Sort of makes no sense as it only takes about an hour and I would imagine if I went in at 10 there still wouldn't be a crowd. No matter, I found a tiny restaurant and had what I would call an adventurous meal of Japanese Tapas (though really, it was not like sushi as I had expected). Aside from the sleep thing, I must admit one thing that deters me from traveling out of the US is the food thing! When you can't read the menu it's tough to order anything but croissants and "un cafe" - which is a super tiny, looks like an espresso elxir that tastes fantastic even without milk but gets me BUZZY to say the least.
Today after I eat this odd breakfast of muesli and yogurt I will venture to my next hotel where Planeta Barcelona is being held. I am excited to say the hotel has a gym.
Buenos Dias my friends.
Sleeping In Late Is Not Recommended
As my internal clock acclimates to the 7 hour time difference here in Spain I have found myself sleeping in this morning until 11:30. This is not a good idea for someone who is a total creature of habit when it comes to my eating regimen. I am used to getting up, drinking a full glass of water, MELTing then eating some blueberries with yogurt and a topping of cereal, and a cup of coffee. That unfortunately did not happen here. I got as far as my glass of water and a foot MELT.
I picked a spot noted in one of my travel books about a half mile from my hotel that said they served eggs and such for breakfast though by the time I got there it was noon and breakfast was well over with. Frustrated I then managed to ask for "un cafe" which then came as a tiny shot of espresso. What's up with the tiny coffee cups in Europe? Even when I try to call it Un American Coffee it still doesn't work out. As tasty as it was, it was no breakfast.
I finally compromised by going into a grocery store and buying some Muesli and Kefir and heading back to my hotel room for a breakfast of champions. Now I will go upstairs where there is a wading pool and a nice deck to attempt a little workout before discovering Barcelona by bicycle. More soon~
Hola From Barcelona!
I have just arrived to Barcelona, Spain! Getting here was super easy and I was luck enough to somehow get upgraded to FIRST CLASS on my Delta flight. Thank you Delta! It's amazing how flying doesn't seem like a big deal when you have so much leg room you can't touch the seats in front of you and the seats recline back to a bed like state!
This city is SPECTACULAR!!! It is so beautiful, the gothic relic buildings, churches and the wide open roads and walk ways. It's truly a city to see. I have only been here one day and I can't wait to scope out El Raval, and Barri Gotic areas of this beautiful city!
Although I have yet to see a gym of any sort, I hope to find one tomorrow and try to talk about MELT to prepare myself for two full days of teaching different 90-minute lectures at the Planeta Barcelona Conference! Three unique events each day will set a tone and a MELT Immersion experience for all that attend.
It's a signature way for me to present at conferences is to have a series of sessions that build upon each other so people who stay for all of the events really grasp the techniques and leave with some education they can apply to their private practice.
I can't wait for the weekend but I am excited to scope out this fantastic city over the next two days. I will update each day with my experiences out here!
And if any of you have any advice on getting around the city, send me some info!
All the best~Running High Heels You Say?
In 2002 the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) introduced "The Heart Truth", a campaign to make women more aware of the danger of heart disease. The campaign is geared towards women ages 40-60, as this is the age when women's risk of heart disease increases.
I am all for this cause. I see women at the onset of this disease many times in my clinic and have seen many beat their odds of this growing disease. And how great it is to see my favorite celebrity host, Kelly Ripa teaming up with this cause for a second year in NYC.LIVE! With Regis and Kelly will host the "High Heel-a-thon in our very own Central Park, NYC to raise awareness and money for charity for this cause.
But of course I am sort of stumped with the idea here. You are reading it right,a bunch of ladies are going to get together to run in central park... in high heels. I just keep thinking, "Should I get Kelly on the phone and make sure they all MELT after this crazy event?!" With her feet in general, I hope she is going to MELT her own feet before she does it! Because I have to tell you, wearing high heels is bad enough but running in them... on purpose? I know it's for charity but it seems like MELT should be coming to the rescue to the runners by helping them out post their oh so fantastic run.
Although they are going to look fabulous before, I imagine what their feet will feel like after!
Hey MELTers! Let's get out there on September 22nd and MELT the runners!!!
Veggies, Babies, and Diabetes
In my never ending quest to bring vital information about longevity to my network of MELTers I found a recent study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden that found pregnant mommies that eat veggies everyday give birth to children who are less likely to develop type I Diabetes.
Through blood sample analysis from 6,000 5-year-old children they found children at risk of developing type I diabetes have antibodies that attack insulin-producing cells which is a risk marker that was up to twice as common in kids whose mother rarely ate veggies during pregnancy.
The study showed a direct link between veggie intake during pregnancy and the risk of children getting this disease... one more reason to eat your veggies!
And even for those of us who are not pregnant, summer is the best time to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, peas, avocados, berries, and greens - all good sources of vitamin B and Foliate. And the other benefits of these types of veggies is helping to reduce heart attack and stroke - eat up!!!
Karin Singleton gets interviewed for MELT
Check out this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht3wsvMSsJc&feature=youtube_gdata
Karin Singleton, one of our MELT instructors in N. Carolina (www.meltnc.com) made an appearance on her local TV news about MELT!!!
IDEA World Convention Recap
I am in flight returning from my adventures in Los Angeles, California at the IDEA World Fitness Convention. Talk about world class events. This year was JAM PACKED with amazing presenters and I am happy to say some super bright, brilliant, enthusiastic participants! I had the pleasure of teaching 4 great events over the last 3 days. This was the very first year I only did workshops and no lectures. Last year and in previous years I did mostly lectures. But at the end people left wanting MORE application!!! So this year I only submitted workshops and voila! It was fantastic. People really "got it"... they got me, they got MELT, the feed back was amazing.
I was thrilled to see many of my favorite professionals from Lawrence Biscontini who presented some of his most innovative concepts. You can't beat him with his enthusiasm
and charisma. And then there were two of my all time favorites Petra Kolber my personal SUPER QUEEN of fitness and Jay Blahnik, the man with the Midas Touch in fitness. They really stand alone when it comes to being a presenter for the industry. They make you want to MOVE, hoot and holla!!!! And they are both stunning by the way along with being kind, decent people.
I also saw Fraser Quelch creative director for Fitness Anywhere and the TRX brand and Randy Hetrick, creator of the TRX. Both of these two are a dynamic duo. Amazing folks and programming. Fred Hoffman (2007 IDEA presenter of the year), Bill Sonnemaker both presented fantastic programs though I always seem to present when both are presenting so I never actually see them in action. And Bill always has a punch to give me about connective tissue. Not sure what that's about but, it is a boys club in the industry to say the least.
I think one of the highlights for me was seeing one of my mentors in the field as well a
s someone who inspired me to be a competitive cyclist, Johnny G. He still looks amazing and is just the nicest person, not to mention brilliant.
I am looking forward to the Ihttp://www.inneridea.com/conference/inner-idea-conference-2010 INNER IDEA event coming up this September, not to mention Planeta Barcelona! I am now an international fitness presenter! I am excited to see Jill Miller at the Inner IDEA event as we didn't get to s
ee each other but for a brief moment at the IDEA World convention. I hate to say we will miss each other at Inner but our sessions are on different days and we are both scooting out after the event. I can only hope!
More soon on some of these upcoming events!! A shout out to Aprile Peishel who makes this event happen in the first place. She is my favorite industry leader. And even though I seem to be a rule breaker (this year I took emails of participants, apparently a no-no) she still greets me with a smile and a hug every year. So to Aprile, I thank you as always for continually letting me bring new ideas and innovation to IDEA.
All the best to everyone who was there!
IDEA WORLD Convention Weekend Begins
I am currently flying on Delta Airlines to Los Angeles, CA for the IDEA World Convention. It's said to be a monumental year for the organization so I expect a great time. I can't wait to see some of my favorite presenters dazzle participants with their mad skills from workouts to lectures.
For me, I hope to create the MELT Immersion over the three days I will personally be presenting. Beginning with a two hour workshop on Adding Hands-Off Bodywork™ to Group Exercise Thursday morning. Friday I will be doing an early Morning MELT for an hour to have people experience the MELT Method first hand. Later that morning I am doing the MELT Core Treatment - a 4-hour extended workshop. This I am sure will be the most fun of all the sessions because i will have time to share some of the MELT techniques that participants will go back and hopefully apply in their one-on-one sessions.
Finally, on Friday morning we have a 2-hour MELT Hand and Foot Treatment session. Again, the hope is that people will spread the word of MELTing in the fitness realm where the techniques are sorely needed.
The injury rates have increased over the years I have been a part of it. In my nearly 25 year career in fitness, I have seen a significant increase in older adults at health clubs, many of which enter with orthopedic issues like hip and knee replacements or spinal surgeries. Most are on at least three prescription medications as well so the role of a "personal trainer' is slowly needing to take on a new title.
As I pioneer the ideas of manual therapy techniques that span a different body of philosophy and science than those used in general fitness modalities today I hope to affect participants in a way that creates the network of MELT Evangelists out west. Currently we have three full MELT instructors out in CA and about a dozen MELT Hand and Foot Instructors. So I know this year will bring more curious minds into this wonderful world of neurofascial science and application.
I hope to see many of you again and thank you to those of you who read my blog and have sent me messages about IDEA!! I will see you all tomorrow!
2009 IDEA WORLD
Even Young Dancers Have Pain
I had the pleasure of instructing a MELT for Young Dancers class this morning at Alvin Ailey. The youngest was 11, the oldest 16. I introduced myself and said, "Now you guys are young so the ratio of injured people in the room may be less than it is when I have adults but, is anyone in pain or do any of you have an injury?" 2/3rds of the room raised their hands and the kids said, "Neck, my neck! Shoulders, backs, knees, feet..." everywhere even young kids are in pain.
So we did the foot treatment and the young dancers were dazzled. "I can feel my leg is totally grounded" one young girl said. "Wow! I think my back feels looser already!" another young girl exclaimed. On we went to the floor to MELT with the rollers. So many of the dancers felt their misalignments that everyone's hand went up when we assessed for Autopilot Inefficiency. Staggering. But we did 3 simple techniques: 3-D breath, Neck Decompress, Low Back Decompress. At the end of the class many felt the changes of their masses and spaces on the floor more aligned, less tight...
And just like adults many rushed up to the front of the room to ask questions. "Where do we get those balls?!!" "Will this help my back? I've had surgery already..." (this was a 14-year-old girl).
So what can I say? Does being young make you exempt from pain? Nope. But they all got the idea, if you want to deter the negative effects of dancing and improve performance and longevity of your dance career, it's time to learn more about MELTing!
