Want to get MELTed?
Want to get M.E.L.T.ed?
I know, I know you might be asking… What does M.E.L.T. mean?
I thought the same thing when I first heard about it two years ago. I had the opportunity to take a M.E.L.T. class from the creator
Sue Hitzmann at IDEA World in 2010 and was blown away at how amazing and refreshed I felt afterwards. M.E.L.T. stands for Myofascial Energetic Length Technique. I know, I know… a lot of BIG words!
Let me explain what the BIG words mean. Do you every wake up in the morning and have aches and pains? Do you ever reach your arm up high in the air and feel the rest of your body talking to you, specifically from the rib cage down? When you set your feet down on the floor in the morning after getting out of bed, do your feet ache? Or maybe you just have this nagging pain, that no amount of stretching can take care of? What most likely is speaking to you is your connective tissue.
Your connective tissue is the glue that holds the whole body together. It’s interwoven into all of the layers in our body. It attaches our muscles to our bones, distributes forces, resists forces, and has nine times more nerve endings that our muscles. Our connective tissue makes us into the shapes that we are, establishes our posture, and communicates between all the systems of the body. OUR CONNECTIVE TISSUE IS AWESOME AND IT NEEDS OUR ATTENTION.
The M.E.L.T. Method is a way to self-treat and bring our connective tissue the attention it needs. Through a series of specific techniques we can awaken our gunked up connective tissue, rehydrate it through certain movements and massage techniques, allowing us to redistribute fluid flow and keep our systems running at full speed.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the M.E.L.T. Hand and Foot Instructor Training with the creator Sue Hitzmann, and I am excited to share this new way to rejuvenate the body and gear us up to participate more whole-heartedly in the movements we love without missing a beat.
If you would like to join me for the very first FREE M.E.L.T. Class it will be held on Friday April 20th, 2012 at 5:30pm. The class is limited to 10 participants, and is on a first come first serve basis. To reserve your spot, please contact me via phone/text 702-285-4549. Allow me to show you how to use the M.E.L.T. method to make you feel better, move better, and decrease stress?
Move More!
Hayley
To see the M.E.L.T Method in action check out this video:
Inspired…. and more!
This week one of my clients told me something that brought tears to my eyes and made me feel the most accomplished I have ever felt in my short lived career.
It was something so simple, but made me realize my deepest desire in what I do for living had been met.
You see last year, I hit several remarkable milestones in my career…
- I became a published author for one of the most renowned online fitness resources, PtontheNet; not just once, but two times over.
- I presented at IDEA World fitness conference alongside some of the industry’s best on an international stage.
- I was promoted to Master Trainer for TRX and became responsible for developing future instructors in the industry.
- I had the honor of teaching 4 mentorships to a private career college to new trainers coming into the industry.
I recall feeling proud in each of those moments and recognizing their significance in my journey, but still they didn’t surmount to the moment that happened this week.
My client, who was home for spring break from college, told me she had a project in her class where she had to give a speech on someone who inspired her. She said that it was one of the easiest speeches she ever had to give, and wanted to thank me for everything I had taught her. She felt confident that she could be healthy and live her life in the best way possible because of how I had trained her. She concluded by saying: “You inspire me.”
I was overwhelmed by the feelings that came after she told me.
I got into training, because someone INSPIRED me too! Someone taught me what exercise and living a healthy lifestyle could do. I got into training because I wanted to inspire others. It really all boils down to that. So when she said I inspired her, I FELT COMPLETE.
Inspiration by dictionary definition is: “A divine influence.” 
I believe that to be inspired, we must not only be influenced to do something, but we must feel that in our pursuit those that grace our path in hopes of helping; listen to our needs physically, emotionally, and mentally. Stimulating us in every aspect of our being, and showing us that we are capable of accomplishing whatever we set our mind, body, and soul to. Inspiration comes when someone believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. The moment when that belief from someone becomes a reality in proof of what our own actions accomplish is when we are inspired.
Many of you have entrusted me in helping you in your pursuit of health and fitness. I do not take it lightly that you have given me that responsibility. I only hope that in your journey towards reaching your goals you can be inspired too.
Inspiration requires two things… An obstacle to overcome, and a belief that we can overcome it.
So my challenge to any trainer in the industry is to supply a belief in your clients. And my challenge to any client seeking health and fitness goals is to find someone who believes in your ability to reach those goals. But most importantly, trainers should ask this KEY question when interviewing clients: “In what ways to you believe I can help you?”
“When we find the why, we find the way.” (Paul Taylor) And when we are on the way, it is the ‘belief’ that we can that allows us to figure out the HOW.
Move More,
Hayley Hollander
(For more info on building inspiration from the first encounter with a client visit www.ptaglobal.com and look into the Program Design Questionairre)
Moments of Movement
I recently was intrigued by an article I read on PtontheNet written by Mr. John Berardi, a leading nutritionist, author, and presenter in the fitness industry.
He relayed his feeling of frustration about the constant inundation the media portrays of ‘quick fix’ diets and workout plans. I mean, can we really get in shape in just 10 minutes a day? Berardi, despite his angst, decided to take a whole new look at these quick fixes, and while applying fundamental principles made the complex simple for one client.
By instilling small, attainable goals for his ‘tester’ client he was able to help her achieve a larger goal of ‘maintained weight loss.’ His simple program looked like this:
Monday – 6 minutes of sprint intervals on the treadmill
Tuesday – 10 minutes of bodyweight circuit training
Thursday – 6 minutes of sprint intervals on the treadmill
Friday – 10 minutes of bodyweight circuit training
[That’s right, only 32 minutes of exercise per week.]
Her dietary strategies were equally simple:
Weeks 1 and 2 – eat normally, however eat each meal slowly and eat about 4 total meals each day
Weeks 3 and 4 – with each meal, eat protein, legumes, and veggies (while avoiding white carbs)
Weeks 5 and 6 – one day per week, eat whatever you want
Weeks 7 and 8 – if still included, skip fruit and calorie-containing drinks
Simple right? That’s what I thought!
Which made me wonder if I have been overwhelming my own clients with too many to do’s in their workout programs. If not, then I say to you “maintain the course.” If yes, then I apologize, and may I encourage you to instead look for “Moments of Movement.”
Let’s keep it simple. Look for moments during your day to move. Move in your own way, and for as long as you have time to in each moment you choose. Break up your moments, and allow the body to do what it likes to do. These moments, collectively by the end of every week can help you get to your goal. 
For example, my client Mary spoke of one of her memorable moments of movement. On a long car ride, across several states, and accompanied by two aunts who loved to move, found themselves playing “Auto Aerobics.” This moment of movement was a game in which all the passengers in the car took turns coming up with an exercise/movement they could do with their arms. After much laughter, many silly movements, and almost an hour of passed time, they found a moment of movement that they will never forget.
As with Mary’s example, let’s keep the complex simple, and just move! And to all of my clients… I want you to worry about having fun and moving when, where, and how much you want… I’ll take care of the rest when I see you.
Until then… MOVE MORE!
Hayley Hollander
To see John Berardi’s article in full click the link:
Exploring Fitness Minimalism
Emotional Eating?
I came across a story I was reading in a book recently, that sounded eerily familiar to a majority of the situations my clients describe to me.
The story spoke of a woman (we will call her Sarah), who was trying to overcome compulsive overeating. She described a daily routine in which she would come home after a long day of work, have dinner, and plop on the couch to read a book and unwind. Only to have a thought bubble up in her head, containing an image of the ice cream sitting in the freezer. She would manage to push it to the back of her mind, but only to be presented with it a few minutes later. She would continue to push it away, only to have it more insistently come back to her, until she would finally give in and grab a spoon. Sarah would find herself standing at the kitchen counter, staring in somewhat of a trance while spooning out the ice cream. And before she knew it, the spoon would reach the bottom of the container. Feeling disappointed, guilty, and extremely bloated she would make her way back to the couch vowing to never do that again.
Sound Familiar?
The book, The One Thing Holding You Back, Unleashing the Power of Emotional Connection, presents the idea that emotional disconnection is why we fail to reach many of our goals.
The human brain is wired to avoid painful/unpleasant things and seek out pleasureable/happy things (Maslow Motivational Theory). Regardless of whether or not the stimulus that is being presented to your brain is external (like a hot stove), or internal (like low blood sugar), your brain will interpret the stimulus and try to provide the body with a way to react… One in which we avoid pain and experience pleasure. With an external stimulus of a hot stove our brains would tell us to avoid it because… well, that would be down right painful. And an internal stimulus of low blood sugar, would prompt us to eat something so that we don’t get a headache or feel hunger pains. Here’s where emotions come into play…
Emotions are physical responses to internal/external stimulus. An external input, like an insult for example, will convey an emotional response of hurt. An internal input, like missing a friend, will convey an emotional response of sadness. These emotions cause us to FEEL! Sometimes, because we are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain, we will avoid certain emotions because they are unpleasureable to us. When we avoid emotions, analyze emotions, assess emotions, bargain with emotions, and even judge emotions we avoid feeling.
My point is… emotions are meant to be felt! When we avoid emotions we are teaching ourselves that they aren’t pleasureable. When situations arise where those emotions come to the surface the brain recognizes them as negative, causing us to instill a behavior (like eating mindlessly) that overwhelms us, confuses us, and downright stalls us in our pursuit. Emotions provide us with information that thoughts alone can’t.
We must embrace our emotions to succeed! We must actually experience what the emotion is telling us, move through it, and recognize that its okay to feel it.
So bringing it back to frustrated Sarah; after working to experience her emotions, she discovered that in her nagging thought process of eating ice cream, came a feeling in her stomach reminding her of being a young girl jumping up and down. That young girl loved ice cream, and anxiously wanted to get into the freezer. In her emotional thought process Sarah, felt the anxiousness of the little girl, reminding her of the attention she wanted to so badly as a child. And the anxiousness quickly turned to sadness… Sadness that she would typically avoid feeling, by giving in and eating the ice cream. The sadness stemmed from the divorce of her parents at a young age, and the lack of attention that came after it. With Sarah’s new resolve to experience the sadness, to process it, and to allow her body to no longer feel threatened by the ‘sadness’, she was able to finally put down the spoon and begin to lose the weight.
Whether your compulsive eating is ice cream or chips, candy or pizza… before you go blaming your eating habits on a lack of willpower. Brave an emotional gut check, you might be surprised at what you find. Emotions are our friends, feel them, and you will prosper.
Move More!
Hayley Hollander
To learn more about emotional connection, and the 2×2 process behind connecting emotionally, check out the book.
Cushnir, R (2008) The One Thing Holding You Back, Unleashing the Power of Emotional Connection, Harper Collins, New York, NY
Accountability?
Accountability (Adjective)
Defn’- Of a person, organiztion, organiztion, or institution- required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible.
It is this time of year, this wonderful blissful time of year, when all the goodies, parties, social gatherings; begin to pull us away from keeping our health in check. We forego the gym one night because we need to stop at the store instead, then we neglect to wake up to our early alarm because its just to cozy in our bed. We find ourselves eating more than we normally would, and even eating a lot of sweets too, only causing us to want to take a nap in our ever so rare moment of free time. 
Aw yes, you know this is you! I’ll even admit its me too… but I’m not going to give you the cliche advice and tell you to work out whenever you can. Go for a walk, offer to do more chores and help out (although all of these things would be a HUGE benefit), what I am going to tell you this holiday season is to find a buddy to keep yourself accountable.
That’s right… a BUDDY! Just like ‘Buddy the Elf’ would never allow any of his loved ones to have a bad day… you must do the same. Whether your buddy is a friend, family member, co-worker, or neighbor, find a buddy that will help you push through this hectic month. A buddy that will workout with you, helping you stay on a regular schedule. A buddy that will check in with you, and ask you what you are eating for dinner. A buddy that will encourage you, and help you find solutions to the roadblocks that are getting in your way of your toned little holiday butt!
When we have someone to help keep ourselves accountable we are more likely to stick to our programs. When we have a friend that encourages us, those things that we would justify in our head, aren’t so justifiable to your buddy. Your buddy will give you the look: The “Are you serious? That sounds ridiculous!” look. Having someone to keep us accountable not only gives us that extra ‘umph’ to stay on track, but also can give us meaning, purpose, and comfort in what we are trying to do.
Knowing that your friend is waiting outside in the freezing cold for you to do your morning run, can sometimes be that little wake up call that will get your warm body out of bed. We can find relief in a buddy as they are struggling to fight those same battles we are. Buddies offer us empathy. They have the same goals in mind, and are overcoming the same obstacles we are to stay in shape.
So, before you give up on staying in shape this holiday season… Don’t forget there is someone else out there in need of a buddy! You can help them and they can help you

Get your ‘Buddy Plan’ started off right… come and participate in the Great Las Vegas Santa Run on Saturday December 3rd, 2011 at 10am at Town Square with Team ATP. Your registration includes your santa suit, and we will be having a costume contest with prizes for the best ‘decked’ out santa suit. Please let us know you will be joining us so we can forward you the meeting instructions for the morning of the race. The link to sign up is below.
http://www.opportunityvillage.org/santa_run.php
Hope to see you there!
Stay Healthy,
Hayley Hollander (P.S.- Anyone want to be my buddy?)
Is your Heart Healthy?
Cardiovascular disease or CVD is one of the leading killers amongst North Americans today, and although there are some UNcontrollable factors that contribute to CVD, like genetics; There are many factors that we CAN control. One of the most important factors is PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
All movement is GOOD, but when it comes to the health of your heart, movements that ellicit different heart rates are very important. Schwartz & Schwartz state that “A lack of heart rate variability and heart rate recovery are percursors to cardiac morbidity and cardiac mortality.” So, when it comes to exercising smart for your heart, heart rate variability and the ability to recover from higher heart rates is important.
One of the most accurate ways to measure just how hard your heart is working during exercise is a heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitor will give you second by second feedback, allowing you to adjust the workouts to the appropriate intensity to match your goals and improve your overall heart rate variability and heart rate recovery.
At the beginning of the summer, ATP clients Linzel and Polly both began their workouts with slow heart rate recovery (for Polly), and difficult heart rate variability (for Linzel). They worked very hard and completed weekly workouts consisting of interval heart rate circuits, and steady state training in differing heart rate gears. Take a look at their video to see just how much they’ve improved.
A BIG congratulations to Linzel and Polly, and all of their hard work, it truly has paid off, and your ‘heart rate’ shows you that. For more information about which heart rate monitor to get, or how to program your workouts for improved heart rate recovery and variability contact us at atp_personaltrainer@yahoo.com.
As always… stay healthy,
Hayley Hollander
What Motivates Us?
Even though our job title is ‘personal trainer’, and the world calls us ‘personal trainers’. Bottom line… we are really behavioral change specialists. We are hired to help people change the behaviors that got them to where they are at in that very moment. So we are left to figure out exactly how we are going to do that. And we ultimately ask ourselves “What Motivates Us?” 
Ever wonder why sometimes giving rewards or punishing a person for a lack of performance never truly works? In the book “Drive” by Daniel H Pink, there are numerous studies that prove to us time and time again that our belief in rewarding hard work, or rewarding a job well done, or giving a gift or prize to the fastest person actually hinders our performance.
I thought about this a little bit; in the book it gives more description to employees and the work force, but the same can be compared to exercise. Think of all the PE teachers out there that give out prizes for the quickest mile finisher, or allow students to sit out from gym class if they do good on their test. Or a parent that tells their child to go run around the park for hitting their sister. All this is implying to the person who either receives the prize or gets the punishment, is that exercise is an awful thing so I either have to give you a prize so you will feel inclined to do it, or I have to punish you with exercise giving it a negative connotation.
Now as fitness professionals we have the ability to change this… and this can start in our programming from the get-go. You see, exercise is believed to be work and not fun… and we need to change that if we are going to have any influence on the staggering and rising statistics of obesity. The book goes on to say, “Whats more, for some people, much of what they do all day consists of the routine, not terribly captivating, tasks. In these situations, it’s best to try to unleash the positive side of the Sawyer Effect by attempting to turn work into play- to increase the task’s variety to make it more like a game, or to use it to help master other skills.” Now, the Sawyer effect in the book is referring to the counterintuitive consequences of extrinsic rewards. Rewards that are given as an ‘if-then’ action elicit a negative response, where they extinguish intrinsic motivation, diminish performance, crush creativity, crowd out good behavior, encourage cheating, short cuts, and unethical behavior, they foster addiction, and they encourage short-term thinking.
So, you may be thinking to yourself, well within my program design how can I avoid using rewards but still get my clients to do the things they need to do to get to their goal? I was wondering the same thing… it’s a whole new mind shift.
First, we have to build credibility in the task itself. We need to offer a rationale for why the task is necessary to begin with. If we can explain how what we are having them do will help them get to their goals. A task that is inherently hard or uninteresting can become more meaningful to them and therefore they are more invested.
The second thing we can do is acknowledge that the task is boring. That statement may scare you a bit… and the truth is scary. But when we acknowledge that the task is boring this is where we play the empathy card. We can play on emotions of acknowledging how they are feeling, instead of giving them an award to complete something as is a normalacy for boring tasks, thus reiterating that it is boring, making it even more dreadful.
The third thing is to allow people to complete the task their own way. Think autonomy here and not control. Although there might be an outcome we are looking for within the exercise or even the workout. Here is where we state the outcome we need, and instead of specifying precisely the way to reach it, give them freedom over how they do the job. This will actually deter from the task in number two as being boring. And within the Gray Institutes realm of triangulation of movement we can allow the client to move with variety, self-selecting where they want to go. Making training variable, giving them ownership which fosters autonomy and allows the mind to become engaged in the task. Taking away the need for reward. 
Focus on creating programs that have Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Autonomy will give them an outcome that needs to happen while giving them the ability to choose how they want to get there. If they don’t like to run, then don’t make them run, but instead find an activity they like to do that will get them to their goal. With Mastery, give them a task that is challenging, but only to the point where they are still successful, and as they master certain levels of the skill, they are driven to accomplish the next level. Presenting someone with a challenge that encourages them to continue to strive to be better will only play on their own intrinsic motivators. A program that has mastery, is demonstrated in exercise adherence and satisfaction from the client. Lastly, purpose is the ‘why’ of what they are doing is worth it to begin with. Purpose is what we pursue, it is the catalyst behind putting in all the effort to get to their goals. Be sure to provide meaningful reasons of ‘why’ that correlate to the individual’s goals, and it will remind them the direction they are going when the going gets tough.
Ultimately what motivates us to do anything are tasks that encourage autonomy, mastery and purpose. When we supply these in our training programs, we build a foundation to help encourage change, not only in their body as their tissues are left to guess what is happening and adapt, but also mentally as we are giving them workouts that are challenging mentally/emotionally/and physically. If we find tasks that give AUTONOMY, MASTERY, AND PURPOSE then we as personal trainers are recognizing that we really are behavioral change specialists.
So, before you revert to a reward or punishment, think carefully about the message that conveys to the clients’ motivation towards exercise.
Hayley Hollander
Vector Variability
One of the most common excuses I get from clients who say they don’t like to run is: “I hate running in one direction, its boring!” I don’t blame them, the body doesn’t like it either, that’s why it is so boring. There really is no challenge for the brain and the tissues of the body adapt to the stress of linear movement.
But what if you changed the paradigm of how you trained all together? What if instead you went for a run and had to change your feet patterns every 30 seconds, or had to use your arms differently? What if you played a game with a ball that required you to run all over the place for 30min? Would you still be bored?
Probably not!
Your body will thank you too.
A Vector is a direction and magnitude of a force. Changing the vectors on the body, changes the forces placed on the tissues, leaving the tissues of the body to guess how to respond. We call training in this way vector variability. When we train with vector variability we keep the body guessing, and we feed the system smart information. Our mind can become united with our movements, and we bring FUN back into the equation of exercise. Check out this short video with ATP client Lori Grieco and how we integrated vector variability into her workout.
So, next time you pick up a weight to do a bicep curl, think to yourself… how many different ways can I do this to keep my body guessing and still get the same result?
Stay Healthy,
Hayley Hollander
Facilitating a Learning Environment
One unique task that personal trainers have when designing programs and picking exercises for their clients is to find ways that allow the client to move within their bubble, with proper timing and rhythm. Timing and Rhythym is a sticky thing, because its something that should happen naturally as the body learns the new movement. Once the body knows what to expect and what to do, it starts to create a synchronized pattern of movement. The challenging thing for the trainer is that we can’t ‘tell’ the body when, where, and how to move… WE MUST ASK IT. When we allow the body to show us how it wants to move, we can learn so much more from the client, and it is in that moment that we can truly learn how to pick exercises that facilitate a “learning environment” for movement with proper rhythm and timing. Rhythm and timing looks like the body is harmoniously moving without even thinking about it.
In this video, watch as ATP client Tracy, is learning how to lunge in different directions with rhythm and timing. We utilize yoga blocks, in a stacking formation to facilitate a response of slowing down and getting a full range of motion… and even more important, ITS FUN! The brain is thinking of the blocks, and the body is telling the brain where it wants to go with the blocks. How cool is that?
How will you facilitate a learning environment for you and your clients?
Stay Healthy,
Hayley Hollander
A Creative Environment!
Sometimes one of the best ways to spice up your workouts is to change your environment and then creatively figure out ways to use what you have around you to workout. Whether you’re on the go and travelling all the time, or maybe you have a quick 20 min lunch break and want to get a workout in to maximize your time, your environment can be giving you a whole lot more than you think. Take a look as ATP client Jon S. does his latest workout in his backyard and makes his workout fun and inventive. Enjoy… and let’s see your next workout in a different environment!
Stay Healthy,
Hayley Hollander








