Happy Summer! Wow, that was fast. The NBA Finals were over in five games, the Tennis's French Open and Golf's US Open came and went, and we are already nearly through June, heading towards MLB All-Star weekend. We must be having fun! Can't wait to see who is named NBA MVP tonight (better be Westbrook!). Quick Finals recap: "May the most proprioceptive team win" isn't exactly a battle cry, but wow, the level of fine- and gross motor skills and agility is at an all-time high in

From Latin proprious, meaning "one's own," "individual," and capio, capere, "to take" or "grasp." The sense of of relative position of one's own parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement. Simply put, the ability to perceive yourself in space. Once again, I make my own luck in terms of timing, as there are several important things to cover concerning proprioception before moving on to our wider, societal proprioception or awareness. First, the NBA Fin

A few things in life are certain: death, taxes, cardio (I suppose diets fit here also, but we're not talking nutrition for another few weeks) and Uber. Eventually, you and I will die. Every year around this time, we also have to pay our taxes (or hopefully get a refund!). If you ever visit or live in an urban or metro area (even suburban areas now!), you will almost certainly ride in an Uber, even if like me, you have never personally downloaded the app and called for a ride.

As a youth, my philosophy on communication was simple: speak the truth. In recent years as a health professional and college educator, the value of situational euphemisms has become more apparent. Now, a healthy communications outlook may be, "Try to say things nicely, but above all speak your truths." Besides, if we sugar-coated everything, we would all have cavities and diabetes! With that being said, let's be politely blunt. Strap on your helmets! We're going full-on esote

One important relationship. Three planes of movement. Three major reasons it fails. One article to help you better understand. In order to move with power and grace (and less pain!) in your upper body, you need effective communication between your shoulder blade (Scapula) and your arm (Humerus). This is called glenohumeral rhythm. These two large bones and their tissues work together to guide all of the broad, upper limb movements we make, aka contribute to the majority of up

I love this time of year. Regardless of your favorite team, or even if you are not interested in the sport of football, the Super Bowl is exciting (what does that have to do with Shakira?!). As a young kid, I learned to read starting with the scores in the sports section of the newspaper, and then took to a book my parents gifted me on the Super Bowl. I memorized that book at one point. Football became an obsession. "Ok, great, Tim. What does that have to do with our hips?" I

Strutting your stuff or losing your butt? All that sass but no ass? Okay, enough with the corny one-liners and let’s get down to the BASE-ics. Ha. Ha. Ha. Okay butt seriously… Getting a hint as to where this one is going? Yes, it’s the butt. I promise I have a lot more coming your way other than notes about the booty, but they always say write what you're passionate about, right? One of my absolute favorite areas to work out is my butt. Yes, I do my squats, lunges, and donkey

Any good at Legos? Great! Then you can excel in fitness. A good fitness regimen is all about degrees of freedom. Minor constructions and deconstructions to your plan that keeps the whole thing going smoothly. I remember being 16 and learning how to be an ocean lifeguard during our "hell week." One of our instructors taught us, "Slow is smooth; smooth is fast." It's a tried and true military quote. Often, the very impulse that drives us to improve our fitness can be the same o

There are only good reasons for starting or changing an exercise regimen. One of the most common reasons people give me for starting or changing their exercise routines is being tired of feeling the same old way. Perhaps you have been enduring some pain from a previous or existing injury or a chronic ailment. Maybe your doctor told you to start exercising more in order to improve lab markers such as your sugar- or lipid levels. Or, you want to look and feel great! Starting an

When I say "Physical Therapy" or "Physical Therapist", what do you think? Massage? Pain? Gentle stretching? Personal training? Physical torture? Unless you have been to physical therapy (PT), those might have popped into your head. Based on my experience, the understanding of our profession is actually quite limited. To put it simply, we are "Movement Specialists." Our governing body, the APTA, provides an excellent summary of our education history and background. One snippet