An Unusual Method for Keeping Limber

Exercise physiologist and soft-tissue specialist Susan Hitzmann asks clients a series of questions when they come in for consultations or to sign up for their first group classes: Do you wake up feeling vibrant? Are your joints working optimally? Do you feel alert throughout the day?“The answer is almost always, ‘Not really’ or ‘Not since high school,'” she said.Many of those clients report eating right and exercising regularly, but doing nothing to care for the body’s connective tissue, which supports and stabilizes the vital organs. Hydrating that often-overlooked tissue is the focus of Ms. Hitzmann’s trademarked Myofascial Energetic Length Technique.The idea behind MELT is that the connective tissue is not merely the body’s “packing material,” but a responsive system that reacts to movement, nutrition, and pressure. If the tissue becomes dehydrated, as it can with age, the body’s motor function may decline, Ms. Hitzmann said.Devotees say MELT exercises go a long way in improving the speed and accuracy of movement and reducing joint pain.MELT does not provide a high-impact workout, but rather complements more rigorous forms of exercise. About half of the basic 45-minute MELT course involves pressing three small rubber balls — one cushy and the other two firm — into various points of the foot’s sole. The remainder of the class involves a variety of drills to gauge the body’s imbalances, and joint-alignment exercises done while sitting or lying on a foam roller. Exercises are meant to simulate Ms. Hitzmann’s signature brand of manual manipulation of the soft tissue, which she has offered for nearly a decade in her private practice.Ms. Hitzmann explained that while MELT classes wouldn’t necessarily help a bride looking to lose 10 pounds before her wedding, it would enable her to run on the treadmill longer and without pain so she could lose the weight before the big day. “It’s a buffer tool,” she said, noting that many of her students are long-distance runners, cyclists, and other athletes looking to relieve pain and avoid injuries.Generally, Ms. Hitzmann recommends that MELT exercises be done before strength training, to hydrate the connective tissue and prepare the body for peak performance, and after cardiovascular workouts, to counteract joint compression that can cause soreness.Ms. Hitzmann began offering group classes about four years ago at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan and at the Reebok Sports Club. Since then, she developed the supplementary 45-minute MELT Strength and 30-minute MELT Core classes — with the aim of improving her students’ muscular timing and postural alignment, respectively. Next month, she will begin teaching four-part hand- and foot-treatment classes, to be open to members and nonmembers at Equinox locations.Also on the horizon is a new MELT fitness DVD, which will be available later this year at meltmethod.com, where the treatment balls and foam rollers can also be purchased. The Web site will also be relaunched this fall to include free podcasts and multimedia presentations on topics such as doing prop-free MELT exercises in the workplace.Although Ms. Hitzmann now teaches most MELT classes herself, that could soon change: Just last week, she certified 25 instructors to teach the method, and she expects them to fan out and teach across the metropolitan area in the coming months.A freelance contemporary dancer, Liz Santoro, 29, credits the method with improving her posture, balance, range of motion, and endurance. “A lot of areas of fitness seem to be neglecting what MELT is dealing with,” she said, referring to its soft-tissue focus.One of the first students to register for Ms. Hitzmann’s group class at the JCC four years ago, Nicolette Greenberg, 64, said MELT has improved her flexibility and reduced pain in her hips.“Sue explores with you the reasons why your body aches and ways to feel less achy,” Ms. Greenberg, a writer, said. “She awakens areas that we’re not even aware of.”gbirkner@nysun.com

An Unusual Method for Keeping Limber

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