THE BRIDGE: Bridging the Gap to Better Living: May 2015

STATE OF THE MONTH ADDRESS: Inspiration Is In the Air!

This month represents an awareness of many observances, and inspiration is in the air. Based on the two articles, it is clear to see that this National Physical Activity and Sports month. Great strides have been made to not only increase the importance of physical activity, but to emphasize functional movement for quality of daily living. This concept is very important and will continue to echo in years to come because of the present need in society: physical literacy for our youth and independence, coordination, and balance for our elderly.

It is also National Bicycle Safety month, which should cause everyone to be a little more conscious when either riding a bike or driving a motor vehicle. There are too many incidents involving cars and bicycles where casualties are increasing for the latter. Great efforts have been made to ensure our roads have clear markings for bicycle lanes, but some bad habits of today’s drivers cause careless actions that leave bicycle riders still at a disadvantage. It is also imperative for bicycle riders to maintain good habits for the road; communication is a win-win situation. It is a shame that bad habits have a way of infiltrating our lives to have long lasting affects on the areas that concern us the most (i.e. relationships, family, finances, occupation, and self esteem), but it can be managed by being true to ourselves and having consideration for others. This mainly applies to those behind the wheel because there seems to be a transformation that takes place when most people drive; they seem to think that they are invincible as they become “one” with their vehicle. As bicyclist and drivers fine tune their situational awareness, the amount of incidents and accidents will decrease.

I wanted to also take this time and also highlight the fact that it is National Young Achievers/Leaders of Tomorrow month. This observance is rare, but very necessary. I always share the benefits of positive peer pressure with any young person, and how to not succumb to negative peer pressure. The response is welcoming and most seem confident in themselves. It seems as if generations over time have learned how to adapt psychosocially to various stressful conditions in society, which leads me to conclude that today’s youth are underestimated and taken for granted at times when it comes to them making good decisions. Recognizing potential and encouraging our youth to uphold standards because of the example that they see in adults is one great way to continue honoring our youth as young achievers and leaders of tomorrow. Let’s make a difference in this month of May!

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

This month’s section will focus on youth athleticism. In today’s culture, there are many activities that our youth have to occupy their leisurely time. It is good for them to have the opportunity to exercise and mature in good decision making skills applicable for all areas of life, and effort should be given to ensure a stable foundation is laid for every child and young adult to appreciate different forms of athletic involvement. You don’t have to be closely connected to something in order to appreciate it; some children don’t know how to identify with this statement because of their expectations. Most youths don’t know if they can perform an athletic movement because they were never encouraged or “pushed” to even try. Physical Literacy is a concept that will help increase the quality of physical education in this country, redefine athleticism, and inspire an appreciation for the possibilities of movement dynamics.

The Aspen Institute has defined Physical Literacy as the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life (1). This term is interchangeable in physical education and athletics. In a formal setting, physical education is just as important as the core subjects of reading, writing, arithmetic, and science. Core subjects help establish development of self expression; this is also the case with physical education. Athletics also play a vital role in the development of self expression, but this will be discussed later. The same emphasis that is given in the literacy of core subjects should also be given to physical literacy because without physical literacy future generations may difficulty understanding their greatest potential and impact on society; also, no vehicle to forge new alliances between health and government, sports and education, coaches and parents, and other institutions that touch the lives of our youth (1). Studies were conducted showing the lack of fundamental movement skills such as throwing, kicking, running, jumping, catching, striking, and skipping (1). Now that there is a concerted effort to reverse this statistic in the country, it is time to reach our goals for a physically literate society. The choice is ours; our future deserves the right one.

Athleticism must also now be redefined because most people associate this term with athletes, but there are so many more applications. Athleticism refers to the ability to execute fundamental movements with applicability across sports and physical activities (2). The athletic components of balance, coordination, agility, speed, and power for youth will constantly change due to rates of change in individual maturity. According to Rick Howard of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), developing athleticism is the C.O.R.E (Context, Opportunities, Recognition, Environments) of positive youth development, and these principles can help them achieve physical and psychosocial well-being throughout childhood and adolescence (2). Context refers to movement patterns that are developmentally appropriate. A child’s foundation is important in assuring confidence in abilities with the desire in progressing in skill. The mastery of certain skills will give a child instant gratification, and this behavior will show in anything he or she does. Opportunities refer to the development of physical attributes in formal and non-formal settings. As youths play on different types of surfaces, their bodies adapt to handle different types of forces. These forces help prepare the body for more formal, or organized types of play. Recognition refers to the variety of activities that help with the maturation of acquired physical attributes. No child should be refused to play an organized sport. However, every child should be exposed to the health and fitness components (muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and body composition) needed to realize greater potential for daily living to complex sports. As the saying goes: “Youth need to know how to be fit to play a sport, not play a sport to know how to be fit” (2). Evironments refer to the surroundings, platform, or model that’s used to help develop youth athleticism. Studies show that there is a downward trend in the participation of popular sports, and 25% of youth never participate in sports (1). Society must be wary to not use the cut-and-paste method when training children; they are not little adults. When the youth are involved in activities that are relevant to them physically and psychologically they will be motivated to build good habits into adulthood.

There is no doubt that the self esteem of our youth needs to increase. Physical literacy plays a major part in making this happen. Our youth will be drawn to counterproductive things if they are not encouraged in activities that focus on them. However, there are many factors that ensure youth success in life as a whole, and adults need to make a conscious effort to ensure that the impact of positive youth development leaves a lasting impression into adult development.

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1. Farrey, Tom. Physical Literacy: Developing a Plan for the United States. Sports &Society-The Aspen Institute (Washington, D.C.). 26 February 2015. Web Pdf. 01 May 2015.

2. Howard, Rick. Developing Athleticism is the C.O.R.E of Positive Youth Development. NSCA Coach. 2014; 1(2): 4-5.

3. King M, Stanforth D. 10,000 Workouts In 10 Minutes: Movement-based Programming. ACSM’s Health & Fitness J. 2013; 17(1): 8-14.

4. Pescatello, Linda S. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (9th ed). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2014.

5. Santana, Juan Carlos. Functional Training: Breaking the Bonds of Traditionalism. Boca Raton, FL: Optimum Performance Systems, 2000.

WHAT'S YOUR FUNCTION?

Communities everywhere are making a good effort when it comes to being more active, but the word active has to be put into a better perspective when considering overall movement. First, it’s important to have fun and be safe because without these factors it will be difficult to be inspired to be consistent; continuity means vitality. Secondly, we don’t’ want to move with no purpose. Do we drive our cars with the intent of having no destination? So what sense would it make to unconsciously move with no goal. Physical activity and exercise involves movement, but are not the same thing. Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscles that result in a substantial increase over resting energy expenditure (4). Exercise is planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain physical fitness (4). If exercise physical fitness, then what improves physical activity or exercise? This question can be answered by understanding that everything we do has a purpose, or function. Have you ever noticed the number of people walking, running, or jogging? What is their goal, purpose, function, or task for moving that way? The benefits of physical activity and exercise are numerous, but how to train most effectively and efficiently is a challenge (3). The best approach to this conundrum is the use of Functional Training.

Functional Training focuses on true neuromuscular function during human movement, and movements are task driven (3). Juan Carlos Santana, one of the leaders in functional training education, formulated the “Four Pillars” of human movement: Standing and Locomotion, Level changing in the body’s center of mass, Pushing and Pulling, and Rotation, which focuses on the whole body as a unit and not in parts (5). It’s always important to consider risk stratification and levels of progression when attempting any exercise program (4), but since the neuromuscular system is being trained and not muscles this is excellent for anyone because the intensity is controlled so that it’s fun and engaging enough to prevent someone from being discouraged. Using bodyweight is always the best course because this internal loading helps the central nervous system (CNS) prepare for other modalities, or external loading with other types of weight (5). Performing movements in different directions: Sagittal (forward and backward), Frontal (side to side), and transverse (rotation and diagonal movements) are foundational to functional training because it mimics movement in daily living that involve the completion of tasks. We are used to completing objectives, or tasks in our daily life and this gives us a good feeling of accomplishment, self worth, and value. The same holds true in functional training because performing a set of movements to accomplish a goal will help you not only reach goals in fitness, but develop a pattern to reach goals in daily living relating to finances, relationships, family, education, occupation, etc. Functional training focuses on integrative programming that enhances other training styles, which increases overall quality of life.

Remember, Functional Training is the “gateway” to effective and efficient movement. It is useful in prehabilitative and rehabilitative applications, and very “user friendly” for all ages and interests. Injury prevention and improvement of daily living activities (DLA) are goals that are always achieved when performing functional movements. Functional training is a fresh take that overcomes tradition, and puts the focus on the most important factor: Purpose! So the next time you decide to exercise or engage in physical activity, ask yourself; What is your function?