Drew Van Zee Personal Trainer

Do you ever doubt yourself? I know I have and still do Society puts a lot of expectations on us... We should be X...We should have Y... But what do you want? What is true to you? I know I’m not a 9-5 guy. When I first got into personal training people had doubts. Some suggested I work in another city. Others said I should do something entirely different. But I knew what they were saying didn’t resonate with me. I was interested in working for myself and I knew I wanted to help people who struggled with pain, like I did. I met other trainers who were doing exactly that and making a decent living. So I thought to myself, if someone else can do it I can too! Last year everything was coming together for me. People were finding me on google, reading my website and making a connection with my work. Then COVID hit. Thank god for the clients I do have! They’re great and they have been very supportive. But this last year has certainly been a challenge. And I know I’m not unique. But I’m putting forth effort to make it work. Trusting the process. Success should come from that. Effort is half the battle like they say. And if not, well I just may have to relocate to a beach town in Mexico! Tacos are so cheap!! LOL. So what is your story? What do you have doubts on?

Good morning! This week I want to show you something a bit different, but also critical in terms of pain and overall movement health. This is our vestibular system or inner ear. Our inner ear is our GPS and provides our brain much needed information on deciding whether or not we can feel safe. ... If this system is not working well, our nervous system can go into threat response and we can lose our balance, or feel pain amongst other things. This weeks video shows you how to develop your VOR (vestibular occular reflex). For now, I want you to just focus on keeping your eyes fixed on the "Z" in the center of the attached chart, and moving your head side to side, and up and down 10-20 times each. Check your range of motion before and after. And hopefully you will see a positive improvement :) Please reach out with any questions!

Have you ever questioned whether you will be able to live a full and exciting life without pain? I remember several years ago before I was introduced to the work I do now I would sometimes find myself asking that question. I would be stressed out, stretching, foam rolling and not finding any true relief from other professionals I hired. ... And I thought what the hell! Will it always be like this? I’m so fortunate to have discovered a different approach to pain, one that comes at it from the root, the nervous system! Over the last few years I dove deep into this world. Studying what pain is, learning techniques to help people, observing the skills of other trainers and applying it all to my own life! I can say without doubt I would be asking myself the same question above if I hadn’t found this approach. My pain is way less if nonexistent I am stronger, more mobile, agile and I feel like I’m able to do what I want with my body! Does my story resonate with you in any way? PM me and I can share some things that may be helpful for your recovery!

What are you grateful for? All too often we’re hard on ourselves. I should have done this ... I didn’t do that We can be our own worst critic! And what does that do for us? I know I put a lot of stress and burden on myself trying to do different things. I’m quick to think I haven’t done enough, and rarely think I’m doing good and appreciative as is. Lately I have been trying to spend more time thinking of the things I’m grateful for, and forgiving myself for whatever I’m stuck on. I’m grateful for my family, friends, health, our world, my persistence. Often times it’s the small things in life we don’t think of, or the big things we take for granted. Take a moment What are you grateful for?

Aches, Tightness and Shoulder Pain Can you see the difference? In the pick to the left you can’t see his face, and in the pic to the right you can! This increase in range of motion can mean the difference between pain and freer movement. ... This is a pic from working with a good friend awhile back. He came in with a list of things a lot of us are familiar with. Tight and painful shoulders, painful wrists from surgery, body felt stiff, hard to reach down and touch his toes...He wasn’t happy with how he felt and knew he could get better. So where would you start? From my experience most people would think of stretching or getting a massage to start with. But instead we actually worked on his vision and developing his ability to move his body well in different positions. This had a huge effect on him! When is the last time YOU exercised your eyes, or practiced moving your body and taking advantage of its potential?? #pain #painfree #movement #health #healthylifestyle #exercise #online #onlineexercise #virtualfitness