Icing and Exercise : Why online may not be the way to go.

Ah, the holiday season. A time for warmth, cheer, and naturally engaging in the age-old tradition of cookie making. This past weekend, my girlfriend and I ventured into this festive territory, reaching the step she most dreads: the royal icing. Now, for those unfamiliar, royal icing is a culinary paradox a simple concoction of three ingredients: egg whites, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar. But its simplicity belies its complexity. The magic lies in the consistency, achieved through the delicate addition of water, which allows it to serve its multifaceted purpose.

To hone our royal icing craft, we turned to the omniscient teacher of our age: YouTube. We sought guidance on the elusive "flood" icing a smooth, glossy surface that transforms cookies into edible art. The technique involves adding water to the base mixture, creating various consistencies measured by how long it takes the icing to settle into a smooth surface: ten-second icing, twenty-second icing, and so on.

We stumbled upon a video with excellent production value. A pristine kitchen set, a clear view of the process, and a well-paced explanation of steps. As the creator piped the icing onto the cookie, they narrated the process with authority, counting aloud to ten to illustrate the ten-second rule. And then, with apparent confidence, they declared the cookie done.

I hit pause.

The icing wasn’t smooth. Blobs and air bubbles marred the surface. I rewound the video, counting silently as the icing continued to settle. At twenty-seven seconds, it finally achieved the promised smoothness. Not ten seconds twenty-seven. Again, I rewound, counted, and confirmed. The icing was decidedly not ten-second icing. Why claim otherwise?

The answer, I suspect, lies in post-production. The script said ten seconds, the editing reinforced it, and so ten seconds it was reality be damned.

Now, what does this have to do with fitness?

Let’s make a few substitutions. Imagine the creator is a fitness instructor delivering online programming. The icing becomes an exercise seemingly simple yet intricate, with layers of complexity. The cookie flooding is the performance of the exercise. And just as with the icing video, many fitness demonstrations fail to reflect reality. The instructor’s squat, meant to serve as the gold standard, often reveals flaws: a collapsing knee, a forward-leaning torso compensations that contradict their verbal instructions.

Where does this leave you, the consumer? Like the cookie, if your icing your exercise fails to match the example, frustration sets in. You assume the problem lies with you. You followed the instructions, yet the result is lumpy, uneven, painful even. The truth is, the flaw often lies not with you but with the demonstration itself. Without an understanding of your body’s unique variables its imbalances, its compensations you’re left to repeat movements that may ultimately lead to discomfort and disillusionment.

At MyoBio, we pride ourselves on a different approach. With over thirty years of experience, we identify imbalances and pinpoint compensations that hold you back. Your body carries its own history, its own narrative. It’s our job to listen, to interpret, and to guide you toward movement that is not just functional but transformative.

So this holiday season, as you flood your cookies or tackle your squats, remember: the key lies in understanding, not just following. And on that note, I’m off to enjoy a well-earned cookie. Happy Holidays, everyone.Make Life More

Is the body a machine a ray of light or just a large space potato?

One of the weirdest things I have seen in throughout my career in the fitness industry is the group that always claim the body is a "machine". The ads scream at you in bright colors with hardbodies flexing at the beach claiming that the reason you are out of shape is that your not training like a machine. Train like an athlete they shout, train harder and faster, with the cutting edge science and pre and post workout regimes and diet plans. Cutting edge technology and you know a lot of science ( I use science loosely here.) should fuel your health and fitness.   

Well I have some news for you I am a moderate sized quasi cyclist and lifter with some weekend warrior tendencies and a hard curve on my dodgeball throw. I do not play for the NBA MLB NFL PGA or any other all capital letter anagrammed organization.  I mainly lift so when someone asks me to help move their couch I can hold up my end. My diet is moderate and I don't feel the need to copy Dwayne Johnsons diet plan.  

But on the flip side of that coin there are those who talk about the body being a ray of light in the cosmos and the way to better health is stretching and some movement. They talk in soft voices and low lighting telling you to breathe in the fire of the universe and that soon you will be the master contortionist able to fit into the smallest of airline seats while you sip hot water with lemon and become one with your colon. 

Well the joke is on them too because I know I don't stretch enough.  I drink too much coffee , pizza is delicious and the most contorted position I often find myself in is when I am laying on the couch during a NETFLICKS  suggested viewing binge and as for my colon well we may need to discuss the tacos I had for lunch  in a little bit. 

So I am not going to be a machine or a ray of light.  I am dubbing my body the great space potato. This potato carrying me through the universe and life  is fairly limber and pretty strong. It could be stronger, it could be softer and more limber. But as  space potato I can gather information and distribute it freely. I don't have to promote one or the other. I can utilize the knowledge that your potato could use a little muscle development in one area to ease pain while suggesting that holding emotional tension in your neck and shoulders should be addressed.  That is the beauty of the space potato the rhetoric free fitness program that can adapt to the body and goals that you have or desire. 

 So maybe your looking to lose a little weight/ run that obstacle course. Maybe picking up the kids is getting a little tougher, or the grandkids are getting a little harder to keep up with; what ever your situation RE*FIT will be here to help you. 

RE*FIT More fitness less rhetoric  

How do I find time for exercise?

A client comes to me and asks me "Christopher, how do I find time to include exercise in my life? I don't have enough hours in the day. "

"You shouldn't be doing anything else." is my reply. 

Exercise and your health should not be confined to the limitations of this hour or that hour. The limitations of this indicate that if you did exercise for this many minutes and then did nothing else the rest of your day you would continue to move forward and we know this is not so.  It should not be confined to the limits of this external space or that location or time.  Your development, health, and fitness is an always there experience.  If this is a continuous process then what ever activity you are doing does not truly matter. Everything can be included  into a program of movement and exercise.  This does not mean numerous hours at the gym or out on the trail, but the incorporation of growth into the daily life. When you go to the office and work why can you not take the stairs and work the proper knee alignment? When you go to the store why can you not take an aisle to align the spacing between your feet and legs?  What is the difference between laying on the couch and laying with the feet up the wall? The opportunities for your exercise are always present.  It is the insistence of grouping them all together into a lump that has us believe there is a conflict with everything else.