Bare Feet

In the early 2000s, Nike came to Egoscue Del Mar to talk to Pete about making a shoe that better supports the runner and quits causing injuries to the runner, as they knew Pete was one of the leading experts on the biomechanics of the human body and gait analysis. He suggested that if they were after “better support,” then they really needed to let the foot move more rather than supporting it. The muscles of the foot are designed to do a job–their job is to support the bones of the foot and keep them in the proper position. After a few years of development, Nike released the Nike Free shoe with the slogan, “Barefoot without being barefoot.” They are the best shoes I have ever worn, and I will never own anything else.

I was emailed this article from the Clinic Director of our Egoscue San Diego-Downtown location. It’s from npr.org and is an interview with New York Magazine’s Adam Sternburgh who wrote a different article on shoes and bare feet for the magazine. There is also a link to the full article that was published in New York Magazine. I would definitely recommend reading both. I would also recommend going barefoot as often as possible!

Another Egoscue Article

This one is from the Pacifica Tribune. Pacifica, CA recently celebrated “TV turn off Week” and encouraged their readers to get up from in front of the TV and get outside! In the section of the article on “TV and Obesity” there is a GREAT quote from Pete. Let me say upfront that I LOVE TV. The only person I know who loves TV more than I do is my best friend Chance. The two of us together can burn through a lot of TiVo’d stuff in a very short amount of time. But, with that being said……

Childhood obesity strikes a chord with me. I think it’s awful. I think it’s a sad look into the life of an eight year old who weighs 100 pounds. It really infuriates me when I see I child who is obese. Please understand that I’m not mad at the child, but instead upset with the parents. The parents are basically telling their child that it’s acceptable to be unhealthy. Americans have enough trouble battling the bulge. We don’t need the problem to start in childhood. Mom, dad, get the junk food out of your kid’s hand and give him or her an orange or banana instead. Pry them away from “Halo 3″ online, and take the game outside. And, I don’t mean set up the X-Box 360 outside. I’m talking about actually playing. Getting them to not only physically use their body, but get them using their imagination, too. Ask them not only to play a game, but to make one up. Create the rules. Create the dos and don’ts. When I was a kid, I lived not too far from some seldom used railroad tracks. My buddies and I would play war, hide-and-seek, we’d pretend we were BMX champions on our Huffy bikes….you name it, we did it. My mom and dad wouldn’t let us have a Nintendo, and looking back now, it was a VERY smart decision. I had a bulging disc in my lower back at the age of 14, and I was an extremely active kid. Can you imagine how bad off I would have been if I had been sedentary during those early (and extremely crucial) developmental years? I can’t imaging playing video games from the age of 4 or 5 and then trying to ride my bike at age 12. That would have been a huge disaster waiting to happen.

OK, I’m off my soapbox (at least for now). The bottom line is, get out, get moving, and have fun! Turn off the TV and you’ll see how much fun it really is!

Egoscue in the News

Here is an article that mentions Egoscue. It’s pretty cool to know that we are being recognized as one of the leading methods that deal with fitness, chronic pain, etc. This one is on core strength and is from the Contra Costa Times.

University of Wisconsin Volleyball

The Lady Badgers volleyball team recently spent their spring break in California (I use the term “break” lightly). The girls spent a lot of time on the beach, but there wasn’t much relaxing. They worked out daily at the Egoscue Del Mar Clinic and got to experience our outdoor patch, along with the infamous “Puke Hill”. Trust me, I’ve experienced it, and there isn’t one redeeming quality about Puke Hill, except for the fact that you know it has to end at some point. When on the beach, the girls were playing volleyball, going through their e-cises and even did an hour-long function run. I’ll be in San Diego in May and can’t wait to do the same…minus the volleyball, of course. Check out the rest of their trip and Egoscue experience here:

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/vb/headlines/story.html?sportid=133&storyid=13445

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/vb/headlines/story.html?sportid=133&storyid=13489

This is probably my favorite quote of the two blog entries:

“After Egoscue, we were back at the gym for another two-hour practice. This day’s practice was probably the best one yet. Our defense had definitely improved and a lot of us were making plays that we never had in the past. We found ourselves being able to get to more balls and felt that the Egoscue stretches and conditioning were really making a difference in the way we could control our movements.”

If you’re an athlete reading this, you have to find a way to incorporate Egoscue into your routine. I could say the same thing she said, but it speaks louder when someone other than the author is giving a testimonial. I came as an injured athlete, and Egoscue totally changed my approach to the game (baseball for me). I was more functional, faster, quicker, etc., etc. So, to get the most out of your body like these ladies are, get into an Egoscue clinic or get an online menu and find out what you’re truly capable of accomplishing.

Egoscue LA and A Client’s Perspective

Sorry for the delay all. Things have been busy here and the blog has unfortunately taken a hit. Here is a link to another blog of a client who visited our Egoscue West LA clinic. It gives a great perspective on Egoscue, life, and the struggles to find a cure to chronic pain. I know for a lot of you that this struggle to find a cure seems extremely daunting and endless. I hope this link gives you hope that 1) you don’t have to struggle and 2) someone else found a cure to their pain, and you can too.  We are here to help, but more importantly, we are here to listen.  I was amazed at her previous experiences and the absolute lack of listening.  I always tell my clients that you are never wrong and that you are the expert.  You know your body better than I ever will, and it’s up to you to listen to it.