How Life Activation began
I have been in the exercise and health industry for over twelve years. During my time I have studied many methods of corrective exercise and rehabilitative therapy. All of which aim to correct muscle imbalances, which are at the heart of so many injuries and pain within the human body. And much to my frustration, the two problems I kept coming up against was firstly, that all these methods worked well for some patients, and not at all for others.
And secondly, all the theories behind each method I had studied raised so many questions in my mind, which when asked, professionals could not answer.
My inconsistent results with my patients, and the general lack of answers, led me to ask what was I missing? Was I not treating enough, was the method I chose inappropriate or were my patients not doing their homework? Or, simply, was there a problem with all the approaches taken so far?
The more I thought about this, the clearer the problem became. Each method had a different way of assessing muscle imbalances, and a different protocol to correct the problem. And, almost invariably, when applied the protocol would rarely workout as expected.
Realising this, and with a commitment to helping my patients, I continued to search for a solution that actually worked. Then in winter 2006 I came across a seminar on Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT)™.
From the first impressions MAT™ seemed like they had answers to many of my questions. And they aren’t too proud to say when they don’t know something. But most importantly they have a unique ‘no protocol’ approach and a respect for the body that others seem to be missing.
For example, MAT™ had a completely fresh approach to my questions about muscle tightness. Instead of regarding it as a problem, MAT™ saw it as a protective response: the body’s solution to an underlying and entirely different problem, which MAT™ defines as an inappropriate muscle inhibition, the lack of communication between your muscles and your central nervous system.
This view made so much sense to me, as muscle tightness seemed like an epidemic, where every patient had positive findings, and every method I studied was trying to find a way to release it. For once, the right question was being asked: why does muscle tightness come about?
So in spring 2007 I embarked on a six day jumpstart training course with MAT™, though I did wonder what I could learn in just six days! Nevertheless I went along and was surprised not only by the quality, and quantity, of information, but, most importantly, because MAT™ showed me a completely different way to assess and treat the body.
Eager to get back to my patients and give MAT™ a fair trial, and to avoid contaminating my results, I stopped using all other methods, and only used the jumpstart techniques with every patient that week.
Wow is all I can say! Suddenly every patient made substantial progress. Patients with stubborn muscle tightness, postural problems, injuries and faulty biomechanics, all showed remarkable improvements.
I remember one patient in particular, Mrs X, had a lot of tight hip muscles with sciatic pain. I had been working with her on this for five weeks with little change. Her range of motion was incredibly limited, yet with just one thirty second activation exercise her range of motion suddenly improved.
We both looked at each other in surprise. “What did you do?” she asked. I stated I had activated the underlying problem (of course I could not fully explain what I was doing after only six days). We were both amazed, and I knew from that moment that I had to study MAT™ further.
So I closed my exercise and therapy business and embarked on the journey that would lead to the birth of Life Activation. I had no idea as to what exactly lay ahead, but I knew MAT™ was going to be a crucial part of it.
