*This blog was written by my inspiring mother, Lorraine Cupido… enjoy!

I was searching for a hobby.  My inclination is always towards some type of physical activity and so I thought it was time to do something that was quiet and forced me to sit in one place and challenge my brain in a different way.  I also wanted to do something that would improve the fine motor skills of my hands.

My brother, David Young, is an accomplished and talented musician, teacher and composer of music.  I had always believed that he had inherited all of the musical genes in my family.  It never occurred to me that I could learn to play a musical instrument until one day, over Christmas I asked myself why I couldn’t learn to play an instrument.   I may not have the gift my brother has for music but I could still give myself the opportunity to learn and have fun.

I have since bought myself a guitar and have had four lessons.  I can now read music and without looking, my fingers are beginning to find the notes with fewer mistakes.

I am thoroughly enjoying my new hobby and I look forward to practicing.  I am so happy I challenged myself to go beyond my comfort zone.  I know I can do this!

The new year has brought a new activity into my husband’s and my life: hip hop dancing.  Yes, you read this correctly.  We are LOVING it and it certainly has been a wake up call for my neuromotor skills.  Being an athlete my entire life, I didn’t think that picking up on choreography was going to be as challenging as it has been.  Don’t get me wrong, I certainly didn’t think it was going to be easy, but I did not expect that it would be this hard!  I can perform the moves properly when slowed down, but trying to make my brain and body connect quickly has been quite the task.

I have realized how important an activity like dance is for athletes to improve motor firing patterns, for injured individuals trying to re-coordinate their neuromuscular systems, and for seniors working to improve proprioception and decrease their risk of falling.

If hip hop is not your thing, try ballroom classes with your partner or salsa with your friends!  Dancing is not only a wonderful way to strengthen your neuromotor skills, but it is wildly fun, it is a great way to socialize and it is fantastic exercise!  Remember, don’t take yourself too seriously; just have fun with it!  Fear of failure or embarassment may keep you from finding a passion that you could otherwise miss out on!

Here is to getting your groove on in 2010!

* The video above features our dance teacher and my patient, Shauna Smith.  Shauna is a professional dancer and will be leaving for London, England this week to pursue some of her career goals.  We wish her the best!

Dr. Meschino is not only a doctor of chiropractic and naturopathic medicine; he also has a master’s degree in nutrition; that is ten years of post-graduate studies!  Dr. Meschino is an evidence based doctor, this means that he only practices and teaches what has been proven in research.  The research, whether taught by naturopaths, medical doctors, or biochemistry professors states that essential fatty acids are very important for us.  Learn from Dr. Meschino’s video why essential fatty acids are ESSENTIAL.

Lorraine Cupido Bala Triathlon

I had an interesting experience a few weeks ago when my daughter and I went for a run and we decided to incorporate push-ups and lunges among other exercises into our workout.  Carla, my daughter, prepared to lead me in jumping squats up a flight of stairs.  That was when it happened… I simply couldn’t make myself jump without holding onto the hand rail.

I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I needed or wanted to jump.  None of the athletic activities I am currently involved in require me to leave the ground with both feet at the same time and especially not up a flight of stairs.

It has become apparent to me that we have to remind our brains how to do some very basic movements at different times in our lives.  I often walk along curbs and move as I would on a balance beam.  This is such a natural thing for me to do but it had not occurred to me to jump and it was obvious that I had become very rusty at a once simple task.  However, it only took a few attempts before I was easily jumping and very gracefully I might add.

I remind myself when the opportunity presents itself to balance, jump and catch et cetera.  I give myself the chance to move in different ways whether I am in the water, on a mat, running or playing a sport.

This experience was a reminder for me that as I age it is important for me to incorporate balancing, running/walking, jumping and eye/hand coordination activities into everyday of my life, after all I want to be a stable, strong and independent senior.