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As far as feedback on the Posture Perfect!TM class goes, it has not only met my expectations, but exceeded them! There are several reasons I enjoy the class... 

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The Sequoia Advisor

IN THIS ISSUE                                                               January 15th 2016

  • The Many Health Benefits of Better Posture
  • Up and Coming Health and Fitness Events
  • March 17th Community Fall Prevention Screening Workshop
  • Video... Sara Meeks, PT Talks About The LivMD Benefits
  • Posture Perfect!TM  Gift Certificates

Feel Better... Live Better

The Many Health Benefits of Better Posture
by Woody McMahon
 

Sit and Stand-Up Straight
Better sitting and standing postures are vitally important to your good health. Improving your posture is also much easier that you might think. When conducting posture evaluations or teaching posture classes, I am surprised how few people know the health importance of their sitting and standing posture. Posture directly affects the health of your breathing, circulation and digestion. These three body functions are the pillars of good health and are associated with every disease that you encounter. When these systems are not working to full capacity, your health can be severely compromised.  
 
Better Posture Basics
Good posture can be defined in many ways. Physical therapists say good posture is "the state of muscular and skeletal balance which protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity." Well, that is quite a mouthful. More simply put, when viewed from the side, good standing posture allows a vertical line to be drawn through your ear, shoulder, hip, back of the knee and ankle to the floor. When sitting, good posture can be measured by drawing a partial vertical line through your ear, shoulder and hip with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor. It is just that simple.
 
Why Better Posture is Very Important
The physical structure of the body has bones connected to each other through joints with muscles and other tissues acting as movers and supporters. One of the duties of the physical structure is to protect and assist in the proper function of the inner organs. If the muscles and tissues that support the bones are kept strong and flexible, then your whole body works the way it was designed. If not then the first physical sign that your critical body alignments have started to change is poor posture. The physical changes create joint and muscular pain along with digestive difficulties, sleep challenges and circulation changes. The body gives you two warning signals that your building is beginning to crumble. Posture that you see and pain that you can feel.
 
Back to The "Big Three" Health Benefits of Better Posture
Better posture provides improvements in three health systems: circulation, breathing and digestion. The greatest single benefit of good posture is more oxygen to the body with less effort by your lungs and ribs. Some studies say as much as 20% more oxygen is taken in with every breath when you are sitting or standing erect. Your brain is the single biggest user of oxygen so increasing those levels improves concentration and memory abilities. Good posture makes it easier to breathe and benefits health problems like asthma, arthritis, COPD and allergies. Your heart can beat slower and not work as hard when more oxygen is available in the blood. This is helpful in cases of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and high blood pressure.
 
Posture and Breathing Test
The easiest example of how poor posture negatively affects your health is through the simple act of breathing. As you read this article, take a moment and try this experiment on yourself. Sit in a chair and slump down like you might at the office or in front of the television. Now take a really deep breath and notice how much effort it takes to move your ribs up to expand your lungs. It requires approximately 50% more energy to inflate your lungs with poor posture. This time, sit on the edge of the same chair with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and your back straight and head up. Now take the same deep breath and see how much easier it feels. What a difference!

Evaluating Your Own Posture
There are several ways to evaluate your own posture. Take a moment and stand in front of the mirror observing your body from the front and side. See if you can draw the vertical line that was mentioned earlier on your own body. Better yet, ask a family member or friend to take three pictures of you; one from the front, side and back. Now you can easily see if a vertical line will hit all the right spots. If you would like a professional opinion, send me the pictures and we will schedule a time to review and evaluate your posture.
 
Improving Your Posture
Going from poor to better posture is easier than you might imagine. The typical exercise program at the gym will do little to help improve your posture. Seated exercises and too much emphasis on abdominal and chest exercises will actually hinder better posture. It takes special exercises that work the back extensors and middle and lower trapezius muscles to really stimulate a meaningful postural correction. Feel free to email me for more information on postural exercises and/or developing a balanced postural program.
 
The RestonPatch Writes About Posture Perfect!TM
Robin Lundgren of the RestonPatch wrote a terrific article on our Posture Perfect!TM classes. To read it and look at the pictures go to http://reston.patch.com/articles/dont-be-a-slouch.

Come join us for the ever popular Posture Perfect!TM classes
How about an exercise program that alleviates pain and strengthens your bones? What if you had 7 powerful exercises that would just take 10 minutes a day to improve your posture, strength and balance? Posture Perfect!TM does all of that and more. Please call Woody McMahon for a no cost Strategy Session
at 703-628-2880 or email to woody@sequoiahealth.com to see if Posture Perfect!TM is right for you.

Up and Coming Events

Free Weights Friday (FWF)... Fridays at 10 am
Free Weight Friday is a small group training class that offers a complete, functional whole body strengthening program. This is an ongoing class that blends dumbbells and medicine balls, whole body movements, dynamic warm-up, balance activities, stretching and brain exercises all in one. FWF incorporates the latest and safest techniques to help improve bone health, sports performance, cardiovascular fitness, balance and coordination. Call for more information and registrations.

Whack-it!TM Lessons and Leagues Starting in February
The History of Whack-it!TM
After playing and teaching tennis and racquetball for years, I realized that many people reach a point in their lives that they either do not or cannot play games like tennis, Pickleball, volleyball or racquetball. All these games provide superior strengthening to the heart, lungs, balance systems and brain over treadmills, stationary bicycles and elliptical trainers. I needed to invent a game that was softer, gentler on the body and more social but still provided all of the health and fitness benefits. The game I invented is called
Whack-it!TM. Call for more information and registrations. Read More>>> 

Well Woman Workshops... Coming in February
I am organizing a series of three two hour small group workshops offering the ultimate in healthy lifestyle and self improvement programming. These workshops provide real world solutions for stressed and time pressured women of all ages. You will learn basic skills in the best exercise strategies for your body; stress reduction techniques to calm your mind and improve sleep quality and healthy eating habits and food choices to fuel your brain and body. We’ve assembled all of the healthy lifestyle tools necessary for women to begin the rebuilding process from the inside out. Call for more information and registrations.

March 17th Fall Prevention Workshop and Screening at Congregation Beth Emeth...

Fall Screening and Prevention Program! 

Thursday March 17th is our first community fall prevention workshop and screening at Congregation Beth Emeth in Herndon. Workshop and screening times are at 1 pm and 6:30 pm at Congregation Beth Emeth. All educational workshops and screening events are free and open to the general public. There will be a nominal charge for continuing fall prevention classes. For more information please contact Woody McMahon at 703.628.2880 or email to woody@sequoiahealth.com. We are seeking additional community Fall Prevention partners in the Fairfax, Loudoun and Arlington counties. Please contact me for more information.

A Commitment to Fall Prevention
At Sequoia Health we are committed to helping our clients and the community prevent falls and fractures. Problems with your balance can occur at any age and generally develop slowly over time. Better balance and a stronger body are THE KEYS to preventing falls, fractures and improving the quality of your life. To read more about our fall prevention program and testing go to http://www.sequoiahealth.com/falls_screening.

Virginia Fall Prevention Coalition
We have joined the Virginia Fall Prevention Coalition that is a part of a national Falls Free initiative started in 2006 by the NCOA. As a part of the coalition, we will offer free balance testing at our office in Herndon and at selected partner sites throughout Northern Virginia. We will also hold regular falls prevention workshops and balance classes to help people reduce their fear of falling, enhance their balance and increase the quality of their lives. Call for more information about becoming a partner site.

Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance
We are offering one of the best falls prevention programs in the world. What makes this program so unique is that it has been shown through scientific and clinical research papers to reduce the frequency of falls by over 50%. Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance modifies eight traditional Tai Chi movements and creates a unique, therapeutic balance system. The movements and activities integrate motor, sensory and cognitive components to improve postural control, balance, gait and enhance performance of daily functional tasks and mobility for older adults. The classes are especially helpful for those who have movement and cognitive impairments and balance challenges such as Parkinson's and Alzheimers's disease.

Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance is a 2 hour a week, 24 week program. It has the potential to prevent and manage various diseases by improving balance, circulation, coordination, confidence, well-being and quality of life in middle-aged and older adults. It is a great addition to the CDC recommended goal of participating in 150 minutes of regular exercise per week.

To introduce as many people as possible to thos wonderful program, I am offering FREE introductory classes for the Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance functional therapy program. 

For more information please contact Woody McMahon at 703-628-2880 or by email to woody@sequoiahealth.com.



Falls & Fractures!
We Can Help You Stay Safe!

A Simple 10 Minute Test That Can Save Your Life!

Our Fall Prevention Screening offers three simple tests that can accurately predict your risk of falls, future mobility and balance that can lead to fractures and other injuries. These tests are a part of the CDC- STEADI Fall Prevention Program. Once you know your score and risk level, we'll help you create a falls prevention and balance program to reduce your risk of falling. You can practice these simple activities at home or join one of our Falls Prevention Classes.

To lean more go to Fall Prevention Screening and watch the videos that demonstrate the tests that we will use in your screening. For more information or to schedule your screening contact Woody McMahon at 703.628.2880 or email to woody@sequoiahealth.com.   

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Sara Meeks, PT Talks About the Benefits of the LivMD

LivMD Updates

A New LivMD Testimonial Showing Bone Density Test Improvement

Customer writes in to Marodyne

2015-10

I changed many things since my first DEXA scan in July 2009 – among them:

  • diet
  • exercise including working out with a 32 lb weight vest
  • philosophy
  • mechanical

Acquiring a Marodyne LIV tablet, which was delivered to me about Nov, 2013, falls into that mechanical category.  I have been using it faithfully at least once a day for 10 minutes since then.  My most recent DEXA scan [Sept 2015] shows the following results, which are all
“Trend:  POSITIVE % change since previous DEXA scan [Feb 2013]”:how livmd works
L1-L4                       15.5%
Right Femur Total   17.9%   *
Left Femur Total      10.6%

* My Right Femur bone density was decreasing at an alarming rate, and the only thing I was doing, which was one sided,  was that I drive mostly by myself, so I was getting in and out of the car using my left leg.  So for the past 2 years, to compensate, I make myself get in and out of the car using only my right leg at least half the time.
I’m sure the Marodyne LIV tablet has played a significant part in this most recent DEXA report results.
I just wanted you to know, and express my deepest thanks for the LIV tablet product.  Thanks in part to your research and product, and in part to my consistency, tenacity, and multi-faceted approach, I’m very happy to report that my bone density is now the same as, or slightly better than, when I started on this journey 6 years ago!

Thank you all Marodyne Medical team!!

- See more at: http://livmd.us/customer-writes-in-to-marodyne#sthash.VlpiKR4g.dpuf

Customer writes in to Marodyne

2015-10

I changed many things since my first DEXA scan in July 2009 – among them:

  • diet
  • exercise including working out with a 32 lb weight vest
  • philosophy
  • mechanical

Acquiring a Marodyne LIV tablet, which was delivered to me about Nov, 2013, falls into that mechanical category.  I have been using it faithfully at least once a day for 10 minutes since then.  My most recent DEXA scan [Sept 2015] shows the following results, which are all
“Trend:  POSITIVE % change since previous DEXA scan [Feb 2013]”:how livmd works
L1-L4                       15.5%
Right Femur Total   17.9%   *
Left Femur Total      10.6%

* My Right Femur bone density was decreasing at an alarming rate, and the only thing I was doing, which was one sided,  was that I drive mostly by myself, so I was getting in and out of the car using my left leg.  So for the past 2 years, to compensate, I make myself get in and out of the car using only my right leg at least half the time.
I’m sure the Marodyne LIV tablet has played a significant part in this most recent DEXA report results.
I just wanted you to know, and express my deepest thanks for the LIV tablet product.  Thanks in part to your research and product, and in part to my consistency, tenacity, and multi-faceted approach, I’m very happy to report that my bone density is now the same as, or slightly better than, when I started on this journey 6 years ago!

Thank you all Marodyne Medical team!!

- See more at: http://livmd.us/customer-writes-in-to-marodyne#sthash.VlpiKR4g.dpuf

Here is a link to another excellent LivMD customer testimonial that talks about significant increases in bone density scores by using the LivMD. http://livmd.us/customer-writes-in-to-marodyne

More Volunteers Need for Our LivMD
Investigational Study

We are conducting an investigation study of the Marodyne LivMD Low Intensity Vibration device. We are looking for a wide range of study participants with a broad set of health conditions. The study will collect a variety of information from the volunteers to assess the effectiveness of the LivMD for:

  • Improving Circulation
  • Restoring motion to joints
  • Redeveloping muscles
  • Assisting as an adjunct treatment for obesity
  • Relieving aches and pains throughout the body

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer study participant, please contact Woody McMahon at 703.628.2880 or email to woody@sequoiahealth.com.

Give the Gift of Health!
Posture Perfect!TM Classes...

Looking for the perfect healthy birthday gift for someone? Consider purchasing a gift certificate for one or several Posture Perfect!TM classes. Gift certificate amounts start at $25. This is the perfect gift, the gift of health, to give to someone you love.

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Continued Good Health,

Woody

Woody McMahon
The Sequoia Advisor


Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.
483A Carlisle Drive
Herndon, VA
20170

Required Disclaimer: The material provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The material is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than suggesting that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The material and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on material in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

Copyright (c) 2006-2016 by Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.

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    A mindful and holistic approach to Fall Prevention, Balance, Full Body Functional Strengthening and Posture Exercises for All Ages! Our Science-Based Exercises are Safe and Appropriate for Your Ability. Our Exercises Help Improve Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, Fear of Falling, Balance and Strength Problems. Reston, Great Falls, Herndon, Middleburg, Arlington Sterling and Northern Virginia.

    Herndon
    483A Carlisle Drive
    Herndon, VA 20170
    703-628-2880

     Middleburg
    300 West Washington Street
    Middleburg, VA 20118
          703-628-2880   

    email: woody@sequoiahealth.com