Summer is coming and you don’t want to melt away or do you? I want to share a kind of treatment designed to help you stay healthy and active. MELT is for anyone who wants to slow down the aging process and live pain free. It is for women and men over 40 who want to remain active and mobile. I was looking for a trainer and was lucky enough to meet Tracy Garcia at the Movement Institute. It took me a while to understand what she was saying but basically here it is:
MELT employs the use of gentle tools for the goals of fascial tissue remodeling, pain relief and performance improvement. New research has shown the missing link to pain free living is a balanced nervous system and healthy connective tissues.
MELT was created by New York City manual therapist and connective tissue specialist Sue Hitzmann. MELT is designed to reconnect whole body communication, rebalance the nervous system, rehydrate the connective tissue and release compression in joints.
I began to train with Tracy. It was not over strenuous and was similar to yoga but different. The tools we used were different. To tell the truth, I was a little skeptical but slowly (not so slowly) I began to see changes in me. The most unexpected and surprising change happened at the gym. I was on the treadmill at the gym doing some cardio and I always held on to the arms of the treadmill. I needed to hold on for balance, even going at 2.2. This day I just “let go” and I was fine. I was able to speed up to 3.5 not holding on. I was shocked! My body was realigned and stable! It was an amazing feeling. I knew the MELT method was the reason.
Let’s ask Tracy some questions:
How and why did you begin the MELT training program?
I was always an athlete at heart. After graduating Rutgers, I entered the work force. I sat a lot behind a computer and it really began to take a toll on my body. I began to have neck and back pain. It wasn’t until I was having problems with my right knee when I scheduled surgery. My friend suggested prior to surgery to contact Sue Hitzmann, an exercise physiologist and founder of the Fascia Research Society. More importantly, I cancelled my surgery and began training as a Melt practitioner under her guide.
What do people ask you the most when you meet with them the first time?
LOL Yes! Do you ever sleep? I do! It is part of the essential ingredient that allows our bodies to repair and recover and remain pain free.
I know you do all kinds of training: weights, cardio, yoga. Why is MELT your favorite?
I am a lover of all movement practices. As Charles Darwin says, ‘Evolve or Die’. I am constantly changing up my strength and cardio programs routines. MELT simply allows me to repair and recover from my workouts. Being adaptable throughout our lifetime starts with practicing all different types of movement practices. Mixing up my training allows me to feel stronger both physically and to also help me think better too. Melt empowers me to continue to do all the things I love to do better!
Do you think anyone can benefit from this program? Is there an age limit?
Anyone who wants to have a better quality of life and there is no age limit. I work with children, teens and clients in there 90’s.
There are many kinds of wonderful exercise programs out there. This is one more to look into and maybe try to see if it is the right one for you. I use this along with some traditional types of exercise like swimming, cardio, walking and playing with my dog!!
Extra tips from Tracy:
Your body needs to reclaim its center. The lying on the roller lengthwise not only feels good, but rebalances this need for our nervous system to know where our pelvis is, the heaviest center of gravity. It only cares about where it’s position is in relationship to the spine. If it can’t determine our center, it drives the nervous system into overdrive, the fight or flight response known as the sympathetic system. This is where T3 fighter cells come to the rescue. This response is inflammation and the bodies response that something is wrong.
Some key pointers for the MELT Rebalancing Map:
Gentle tip from one side to the other. Do you notice if your bridge of your nose stays in relationship with the sternum, belly button, and pelvic bone?
The ‘Inner Glide and Shear’, ‘back of the thigh shear’, ‘calf release’, and ‘SI Joint Shear’ all brings fluid exchange to pelvis and all connective tissue lines.
The timing of how your hips and spine move, are required for all of our daily activities from picking up after your pet, to going to the bathroom yourself to tying your shoes. Our spine and hips are waltzing around each other a lot! It’s always about the right muscle firing first at the right angle. The many demands in our daily routine command stability first in the hips before movements are even to happen. These exercises will help reestablish neurological timing.
Click here for the MELT Rebalancing Map 1