"The Eyes Have It!"

As you've been learning from our repeated coaching , better movement is key to reach any goal you have- reduce pain, get stronger, increase your recrea

tional activities, lose weight, etc., etc.  We've

learned that our Proprioceptive System, or the brain's 3D map of our body's joints, muscles and bones, is constantly sending information to the brain to make that map more clear to allow you to adapt to whatever activity you're participating in at the moment.  Millions of signals (actually 19 million signals per second!) are being received and processed by the brain from this amazing system which makes up just one third of our movement system.  What are the other 2?  The visual system and the vestibular system.  All of these systems work together to allow you to get from point A to point B safely without any sort of "accidental catastrophe," such as tripping on the curb, being blindsided by a fell

ow pedestrian, or running into a wall (admit it- at least one or all of these have happened to you at least once! :) )  

What's the most important, or most dominant system that controls our movement?  You guessed it- the eyes!  Our visual system is taking in 9 billion pieces of information (for you "techy" people- that w

ould be equivalent to 9 terabytes) per second!  If our eyes aren't functioning well or any of our skills are "off," we get what's called a "sensory mismatch,"  where the 3 systems aren't syncing together to give our brain accurate information as to where we are or what's happening around us.  This causes extra tension, or "startle," throughout the body, and limits how we move.

The key word in the previous sentences:  skills!  Vision is a skill, and skills can always be learned and improved!  Your eyes have muscles that need to be trained, as well.  What happens if you don't use a muscle?  It stops functioning like it should.
So how do we improve our vision?  There are many different drills and skills that can be learned and improved which will improve your overall vision.

Here's the exercise of the week:  Pencil Push Ups!

Procedure:  Always start with an easy movement assessment.  This can any movement.  The easiest assessments are either a forward bend to a toe touch, or an arm raise overhead, maintaining a "locked" elbow for accuracy.  Do a few movements to get an idea of how far you move, how easily, and how quickly you get there.  Also, assess your peripheral vision:  take both finger tips away from you, out to the side, as far as you can, but keeping them in your peripheral awareness.  In other words, your eyes should be 

looking straight ahead, but you should be able to see both finger tips.  Note how far to the side each finger tip is.

The Drill:  

Hold a pencil or pen with the tip about 6-10 inches away from your nose.  Slowly move the pen towards the tip of your nose, following it in with your eyes.  Stop the pen when you see 2 tips, and note how close it is to your nose.  Repeat this drill, but make an effort to bring both eyes together as the pen comes closer (like you're trying to go "cross-eyed").   Follow the pen in until you see 2 tips again, then push it back out to the starting point, following it with your eyes.  Repeat for 5 reps.  Blink your eyes a little, take a short walk, and then re-assess your movement and your peripheral awareness.  You should have just improved your movement, and your peripheral vision should be greatly improved!  

This drill takes about 30 seconds to complete.  Who doesn't have 30 seconds a day to see better and move better?!  Give it a try, and be consistent for a week.  You'll be surprised at the results- in how you see, move and feel!