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Alex Bernier

@mythoughtfood

12 Feb

We spend a third of our lives asleep, yet all our health depends on this vital process.

Your slumber affects a host of factors ranging from body composition to memory, performance, and mood.

This thread shares the story of my sleep conquest after years of chronic insomnia.

The Sleep Medicine Research journal states nearly 20 to 41.7% of the global population have a sleep disorder, whether it be insomnia or obstructive apnea, narcolepsy, and snoring.

You might be a part of this group, or likely know somebody with those ailments.

I certainly was.

Sleep deprived nights were the norm in my youth. I remember dreading my bed time knowing it would take forever to doze off, if at all.

Every day was the same:

-Get up with an anvil for a brain.
-Be groggy until noon.
-Peak energy when I got to bed.
-Toss and turn until sunrise

Read 16 tweets

Alex Bernier

@mythoughtfood

10 Feb

The space behind our knees gets real tense when we walk or run a lot.

There are two important tendons in this area, one from your hamstrings and the other from your Gastroc calf-muscle.

The tension can cause joint pain and mobility restrictions from your hips to your ankles.

Sometimes, even a little bit of pressure is enough to trigger a reaction.

Your thumb is the best tool to self-massage. Here are 2 ways to release excess tension:

1- Sit down. Press your thumb on the low end of the space behind your knee then lift your heel up and down 10x.

Hold the pressure as you move.

2- Sit down. Press your thumb on the upper end of the space behind your knee, then extend your leg 10x.

These self-massages won't solve every issue. The excess tension can mimic more serious symptoms such as pain and restricted range of motion.

Read 4 tweets

Alex Bernier

@mythoughtfood

9 Nov 20

Many of us see bones as an inert structure like steel beams, yet they are very much alive.

Wolff's law states that your skeleton adapts to the stresses placed upon it.

Your bones also make a hormone that control your energy.

How to keep your foundations sturdy as you age:

Many start to lose more bone than can be replaced by the time they turn 30.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation projects that over 64.5 million Americans will suffer from critically low skeletal mass by 2030

This thread presents the role of strength training in bone health.

The 19th-century surgeon and anatomist Julius Wolff found that bones will re-model themselves based on the loads carried over time.

They adapt like muscles.

An inner process called mechanotransduction converts physical loading into biochemical signals that change your cells.

Read 6 tweets

Alex Bernier

@mythoughtfood

21 Aug 20

Thread of threads to improve your posture and coordination.

https://twitter.com/mythoughtfood/status/1261698444802097158?s=20

1/ How to Stimulate The 12 Nerves of Your Brain:

https://twitter.com/mythoughtfood/status/1261698444802097158?s=20

https://twitter.com/mythoughtfood/status/1296545210210684940?s=20

2/ How Your Eyes And Inner Ear Affect Your Neck Muscles:

https://twitter.com/mythoughtfood/status/1296545210210684940?s=20

Read 14 tweets

Alex Bernier

@mythoughtfood

20 Aug 20

Our eyes convey a wide range of messages.

A subtle shape shift can turn your gaze from flirtatious to dangerous in a blink.

Perfect synchrony between your eyes and neck muscles is vital to look into a soul and interact appropriately.

You want a steady head with a sharp focus.

Eye movement and head posture are controlled by the same part of the brain, your cerebellum.

Your nervous system measures the position of your head with the information sent by your eyes and inner ear.

These three structures have an intimate connection.

See the connection between your eyes and your inner ear in action:

- Focus your eyes on a mirror ahead of you
- Turn your head to the left then to the right
- Look at how your eyes move

They will rotate to level your gaze with your body as your head moves.

Read 6 tweets

Alex Bernier

@mythoughtfood

9 Jul 20

Our ability to throw needs an equally strong system to absorb the shock.

Think of the recoil of a gun.

Your scapular muscles catch this energy when you propel your arms.

An inability to sustain a blast leads to pain and injury over time.

Shock-proof your shoulders / thread

Few of adults who consult me for pain issues have ever strengthened these muscles, other than with a few physio prescribed elastic exercises.

Their joints have lost that shock absorption capacity and can barely hold their arms.

Here are 4 ways to counter this problem:

1/ Push-Press with a pause at the top

What goes up must come down, unless your extended arms are in the way.

This exercise is excellent to learn how to start and stop momentum with your shoulders and legs.

Overload your scapular muscles with a 1-3 second pause at the top.