What made Michael Johnson a world-beater? His upright running technique did not appear fast until we appreciated the distance between him and second place! To run faster do we emulate him? Many have tried and invariably failed. Does Johnson know something we don’t?

The most common response to the thought of stepping up the pace is to put more effort into the stride. If the legs are already being over worked due to a less than efficient technique, the centre of the brain (motor cortex) that initiates the action has to send more impulses adding to the traffic in the feedback loop. We have the sensation that we are running quicker because of the increased effort, but are we using our energy efficiently?

The next time you want to increase your speed try the following method. Initially, when you have decided to quicken the pace, observe what you normally do to achieve this. After a minute, slow down to a comfortable jogging pace and again think about raising the pace. This time do not think about running faster but instead just move your arms quicker. If we think of only moving the arms faster, requiring less energy, the legs will match the speed. Try the exercise and experience the difference. The first time you speed up you will use your usual habitual method, the second will feel different because it will be unfamiliar.

A recent study at Harvard University titled: ‘Faster top running speeds are achieved with greater ground forces not more rapid leg movements’, Weyand et al (2000) found that runners reach faster speeds not by repositioning their legs more rapidly in the air but by other means. Head of research, Peter Weyand explains: – When you see someone running at top speed, his or her legs and arms are swinging all over the place. There is just not enough active muscle power available to account for all the motion you see taking place.

So where does the force come from? To determine what limits top running speed, thirty-three runners of varied ability were monitored performing at different speeds. Surprisingly the amount of time taken to reposition the leg between steps (swing time) was approximately the same at top speed for all runners. The slowest runner’s swing time almost matched that of the 1996 Olympic 100 metre champion, Donovan Bailey!

So if the swing time is not a factor, how do the faster runners achieve higher speeds? The researchers discovered speed is determined by the amount of force applied to the ground rather than how rapidly limbs are moved through the air. The greater the force, called the support force (SF), coming down through the body to the ground results in a greater force pushing back up, called the ground reaction force (GRF). Remember Newton’s third law of gravity! So those runners putting more into the ground got more out of it. Peter Weyand again: – Much of the work of running is done through passive mechanical processes, in which tendons and muscles act though elastic rebound, much like springs uncoiling, the uncoiling delivers the power to swing your legs.

At first this seems wrong because surely to run faster we need to move the legs quicker. This study suggests that extra effort applied to moving the legs faster may not therefore be the most efficient way to increase speed. The upward thrust of the GRF is translated into forward motion by the action of the hip, knee and ankle joints. If the act of trying to move the legs faster leads to unnecessary muscle activity, joint movement will be impeded therefore reducing the leg’s efficiency to perform its task. When we run faster obviously the legs move quicker but this should be a result of a greater force pushing the leg back up from the earth (a recoil action). For example the harder you throw a tennis ball at the ground the higher and faster it bounces back up. The faster a leg comes up from the earth, the quicker it comes back down.

The paper summarises the results by stating:

We conclude that human runners reach faster top speeds not by repositioning their limbs more rapidly in the air, but by applying greater support forces to the ground.

The study also found how the fastest runners achieve the characteristic longer strides. It has been known for many years that longer strides meant faster running. Coaches encouraged sprinters to practice taking longer strides and devised exercises to strengthen appropriate muscles (many of which lead to injury). This now appears to be wrong. Trying to lengthen the stride length decreases a muscle’s ability to apply the support force required to get back up for the next step. Runners are not faster because they take longer strides. It is the other way around; runners take longer strides because they are fast. They are fast because they apply greater support forces to the ground allowing them to spend longer time in the air, hence the longer stride. So if the secret to achieving greater speed is to apply more force to the ground, how do we go about doing it? I suspect that in the light of this research there will be coaches looking to strengthen the muscles that push the leg downward. However is this the right approach? Whilst muscle strength is a factor, it could prove to be detrimental to performance if all that strength is misapplied. In the act of trying to drive the leg down, the athlete will increase the risk of injury due to increasing the amount of stress placed on the joints. It may also reduce the recoil action if the joints are not allowed to move freely.

I believe one factor is balance. If the body is off balance the application of the support force is impaired by unproductive muscle activity holding us up instead of allowing force to go down. You can test this by leaning backwards as you run. If we can reduce interference with our balance mechanisms to an absolute minimum balance will take care of itself. Another aid to applying greater support forces is to swing the arms faster (as discussed earlier). Freeing up the shoulders and moving the arms quicker and wider will increase force and also I believe activate the segmental rolling reflexes that coordinate the upper and lower limbs.

Perhaps we can now understand why Michael Johnson’s upright style is a world-beater. To run faster we should do as little as possible. Our ‘efforts’ are more likely to impede free movement. Remember; less is more!

Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last 10 years. In 2001 he published a book called ‘The Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training and exercise’ and is currently working on a new project about The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training can be found at www.fitness-programs-for-life.com

As parents we have all faced it. The kids are not listening to you without you repeating yourself over and over and it’s driving you crazy. You give them chances or count to ten and they still won’t listen. Here are some tips to deal with it.

1. Consider Their Age

When I took human development in nursing school I was surprised to learn that children’s nervous systems grow at a slow pace. Children simply aren’t capable of some of the things we expect out of them. Don’t think of them as little adults. That doesn’t mean that we can’t set limits. On the contrary – as parents, it’s one of our responsibilities. But we may have to patiently step in to set those limits physically. Instead of telling them what to do repeatedly, tell them once – then “help” them to do what you asked. This can be done kindly but firmly and consistently.

2. Change Your Behavior

Instead of expecting them to change their behavior, change yours. What you’re doing isn’t working, right? Consistently being firm over a period of time will let them know what is expected of them. Children are impulsive and may be incapable of putting the brakes on themselves, no matter what we’ve told them to do. That’s where we step in!

3. Listen to Yourself When You Talk to Them.

Are they tuning you out because everything you say is negative? If you were lecturing and yelling at me all day, I would tune out too! It’s a natural reaction and unconscious for anyone to discount someone who is negative. Yet as parents, most of the time what we say has a negative tone. “Don’t do this, don’t do that.” Quit talking or yelling so much and take action, balanced with patience, of course.

4. Don’t Give Them Repeated Chances

Tell them once instead of counting to three or giving them repeated chances. Think about it – do we really expect them to move before we get to ten? When we reach ten – they know we mean business!

Being firm doesn’t mean we have to be cruel or mean when we do it. Having firm limits means that we react consistently to issues when confronted with them. They know what to expect!

5. Try Lowering Your Voice Instead of Raising It!

My father was very good at this……..I knew he meant business when he would lower his voice. I listened! Of course he would follow this up with action!

At the very least, the kids would know that something has changed……..hmmmmmmm no yelling, that’s different!

6. Keep Your Emotions in Check.

The kids are going to push you – it’s one of their jobs! They’ll see how far they can go and it’s your job to set limits.

If you are having a problem with anger, take a deep breath. Go to another room. Ask the help of your partner. You can set up a signal beforehand with your spouse and they’ll know to step in.

7. Keep in Touch With Other Parents.

Join a parenting group or online forum to get tips from other parents. Schedule a parents afternoon with friends to discuss issues and get new tips.

8. Set Time Aside for Yourself!

You need to regroup and relax. Read a book, take a bath, play golf. Anything that gives you a break and broadens your experiences.

9. Seek Professional Help.

Get professional help if you frequently get out of control or angry. Anger doesn’t help and leaves you feeling guilty and creates further problems.

10. Take Care of Yourself!

Why am I including this here? Because raising a child is work and you need energy to deal with all the issues. Eat right, exercise and have regular checkups. Pretend you’re running a marathon because you’re in this for the long haul!

Copyright 2005 – Cathy Gariety, RN – USA

Cathy Gariety is a Registered Nurse and researcher specializing in Stress Management. She is in the process of developing programs for hospitals nationwide. Visit her website at http://www.garietygroup.com

I will freely admit that I devour every article that I can lay my hands on which deals with anything related to gardening. Everyone has something which they are passionate about in life, mine is my garden.

My friends tell me that I am obsessed, and maybe I am. I think my partner is obsessed, in his case it’s golf, but as yet I haven’t heard any of his friends telling him that he is obsessed.

The compelling joy of being a gardening enthusiast is the creativity of it, because you can see really tangible results for your labour. Watching your favorite roses blooming, or the pleasure of eating your own home grown vegetables, well, I think that takes a lot of beating.

However each to his own!

One of the reasons why I enjoy writing articles on my passion, is because I know that they will be read by people who most likely share my enthusiasm, and can relate to what I am talking about.

One hears the term “Organic” so much nowadays, that I decided to do some deeper research into the suject, and I am sharing with you in this article some brief findings from that research.
So the following paragraphs summarize some of the work of various gardening experts who are completely familiar with all aspects of gardening. I must say that I found some of the information totally fascinating.

Since we are discussing the term “Organic” in a gardening context, it might be a useful start to define exactly what that means, so here it is, “Organic gardening is the way of growing vegetables and fruits with the use of things only found in nature”.
Really simple isn’t it, but most certainly not commonplace any more in today’s world I suggest.

Having led up to all of that, a good question might arise as to exactly why you would want to indulge in organic gardening as such! Well, as the title of this articles suggests, here are six good reasons why you should do so, in my opinion at any rate.

1. You can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste, alhough this is a bit more time consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers. However it certainly helps to put garbage to good use, and so helps the environment.

2. Organic farming does not use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health, which is especially important when growing vegetables. The chemical companies do tell us that the chemicals we use are safe, provided that they are used according to direction.
Research has shown however that even tiny amounts of poisons absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children. Quite a sobering thought is it not!

On average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult, which could lead to various diseases later on in the child’s life. Remember, pesticides contain toxins that have only one purpose, which is to kill living things!

With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.

3. Less harm is caused to the environment, because poisons are not washed into our waterways to give but one example, causing death to the native fish and polluting their habitat in most cases.

4. Organic farming practices also help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion. The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 – 32 billion tons of soil is eroded from United States farmlands every year, and that’s only one country.

4. Cost savings, because you do not need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Many organic recipes for the control of pest and disease come straight from the kitchen cupboard, and sometimes other plants can even be grown as companions to the main crop. One example of this is the marigold, which helps to repel aphids from vegetables.

Mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap, and 1 cup of cooking oil, can make a cheap garden pest spray for example. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on to your plants. You will find this to be very effective!

5. A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds, as well as keeping the moisture in. Another simple and much safer solution!

6. Organic gardening practices are much more likely to help keep the environment safe for future generations, and all of us who are responsible ciitizens, should always bear this in mind

The whole subject which is part of an on going worldwide debate, is far too complex to cover in such a short article, but I do hope that at least I have left you with some food for thought.

Imagine the overall benefits to be had in our environment, by many people undertaking even some small changes.

Marie K Fisher is an avid gardening enthusiast with a passion for exotic flowers and wonderful colors. She is a regular contributor to Garden Center Showplace, a leading online Garden Center Nursery. For details of their superb product range, and many more free gardening articles, visit http://www.gardencentershowplace.com

Systems thinking is important for Organizational Change (OC) practitioners (and managers) because rarely is there an “evil” person in the organization bent on bringing pain and destruction. Bad behavior, or ineffective behavior, is often unwittingly rewarded by management. Protecting turf, not communicating with peers, not contributing to the team, high absenteeism, and resisting change happen for a reason.

In many organizations (especially in American organizations), the management team goes “headhunting” immediately after an error occurs or a problem arises. “Heads will roll!” they declare. The assumption is that there is a bad person causing the problem; if they get rid of the person, they get rid of the problem.

More often than not, the person is not “the problem.” The problem is typically embedded in the system. If we don’t change the system, we will soon face the same problem again.

Lessons from Other Professionals

Systems theory was not originally developed by OC practitioners. Systems theory has roots in the early theories of physical scientists. They correctly understood that physical phenomena don’t operate in a closed vacuum; physical phenomena continuously interact with other phenomena in any given system.

Fortunately, the wisdom of systems theory did not start and end with the physical scientists. Social scientists, including sociologists and psychologists, have also adopted a systems approach.

Systems thinking has been a highly effective tool of counselors with at-risk youths. “At-risk youths” is a nice way of talking about the types of teenagers who frighten us (at risk for drug use, teenage pregnancy, or a life of crime). Many frustrated counselors were devoting many hours to these youths. Typically, after these youths faced up to their problems, and committed to changing their behavior, they were sent home. But with alarming predictability, these at-risk youths reverted to their old behaviors. Why? Were they insincere about change?

Counselors eventually realized that sending these youths back to the same abusive fathers, alcoholic mothers, and drug-abusing friends was inviting failure. The youths needed support for their new behavior; that meant changing the system. Counselors began counseling the entire family. Changing the system (the family) has been much more effective.

Organizational change consultants and managers must take the same systemic approach. Peter Senge is often quoted for his work on organizational learning. Personally, I believe Senge’s larger contribution is in the application of systems thinking to business organizations. Systemic change involves a lot of work, but the change is powerful and lasting.

Open Systems

Open systems theory takes systems thinking one step further. Systems Theory changes our diagnostic focus from the individual to the system. Open Systems Theory helps us recognize the fact that the system itself is embedded in another, larger system. This larger system, its environment, exerts substantial influence on the organization.

As OC practitioners we may see system-wide problems that exist within the walls of the organization, but we must remain aware of the environment in which the organization operates. A business organization’s environment includes its customers, suppliers, competitors, government regulators, and so on.

Dr. Mike Beitler is the author of “Strategic Organizational Change.” Read 2 free chapters of the book right now at http://www.strategic-organizational-change.com/