MAT™ and the Detox Experiment

My girlfriend, Julie, and I have been on a detox protocol through her work (Life Time Fitness Schaumburg) since August 10.  No coffee.  No black tea.  No eggs.  No butter, cheese, or any other dairy.  No peanuts or peanut butter.  No soy.  And some other rules that include no sugar.

To me it seems more like an elimination diet protocol than a strict detox, but whatever I don't really know much about the nutrition stuff.  That's for Tony.

Anyways, since Julie moved here seven weeks ago I have had the opportunity to see her for MAT™ on a frequent basis--at least once a week.  We could get tissues to respond within the session but would often have trouble getting things to hold from session to session.  Additionally, as I would work through my list of muscles to assess for a given range with her, almost every single position tested would be unstable.

Now, I bring up the detox part because Julie likes sugar and she likes coffee.  Throughout this detox program there have definitely been some rough days for her as she has resisted consuming any foods containing banned substances.

Image courtesy of kidzworld.com

After two days without sugar or caffeine I worked on her and had a really great session.  There was only one tissue that had to be readdressed as I worked through my list and everything was stable at the end, but still almost every position tested was initially unstable.

When I worked on her yesterday--during the ninth day without sugar or caffeine--she came in feeling pretty beat up after going through a Pilates session where she was passively forced into positions.  However, there were only two positions from the previous week that tested unstable and needed to be readdressed.  This was the first time there has been this type of carryover from one week to the next.  Additionally, when we moved into lateral trunk flexion, something that traditionally has been very unstable for her, again we found only two positions of instability.

There are more variables to consider here other than just the removal of sugar and caffeine from her diet so this is by no means "proof" of anything, but I think it still brings up an interesting point in that even if you as the practitioner are doing your very best work with a client and the client is doing their very best to limit the mechanical stress on their body when they are not with you, they still may be exposing their system to stressors that are limiting the effectiveness of your work.

I think this speaks to the importance of having lifestyle discussions with your clients.  I think this speaks to the importance of something like Self Made Nutrition.  If nothing else, I think this speaks to the importance of broadening your view of what is going on with a client, regardless if you have the ability or expertise to address these areas or not.

Interested in finding out more about MAT™?  Check out the Muscle Activation Techniques™ page!

Interested in setting up an assessment or discussing this subject further?  Leave a comment below or e-mail Charlie at charlie@selfmadefitness.com!

Your body.  Your training.

Like this post?  Drop a comment below and “Like” Self Made® on Facebook!

Want to use this article in your blog, newsletter, or other platform? You may, but be sure to include all of the biographical info found in the box below!