Diana Shafer: Motivating Others Through Martial Arts

When I first learned about Diana Shafer, a 30-year-old woman from San Jose, California, I was immediately impressed.  Besides her awesome Martial Arts photos, one of the things I found really interesting was that she first discovered BPI in college.  When she was born, her mother didn’t speak English very well, due to the fact that she had emigrated from Vietnam. Diana's research on Erb's Palsy began when she was preparing for an oral presentation. She chose for the topic to be about herself so she could discuss her injury openly for the first time.

This says a lot about Diana's self-confidence. It’s not easy to talk about something, in front of your peers, that has been a lifelong struggle.  But Diana did that and succeeded.

Since then she has gotten involved in Martial Arts and has created an Instagram account and YouTube channel.  Her motivation is to help others who deal with similar struggles and inspire them to soar beyond their dreams. 

In addition to these great accomplishments, Diana is getting married this month and is a stepmother to two children.

You can find Diana on Instagram @onearmjiujitsu, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or add her on Facebook to follow her journey.

Q & A

Hi Diana!  Thanks so much for sharing your story with me.  Can you tell me when your Erb’s Palsy symptoms began and how your arm is affected?

I have had a Brachial Plexus Injury to my right arm since birth. I was injured by the doctor during delivery. My right arm has limited movement due to severed nerves. My right arm is slightly shorter and smaller than my left. I cannot raise my arm at the shoulder, but I do have the ability to raise my arm at the elbow to 90 degrees.  I do not have a strong grip in my right hand and I have minimal feeling in my hand as well. I have waiter’s tip, which is a deformity of the affected wrist. I also have Horner’s syndrome, which affects my right eye, in which it droops slightly.

Wall Ball Shots for the Win

            One of my favorite CrossFit exercises is the Wall Ball Shot.  It may be the least favorite for some because it’s a brutal movement that uses your whole body but I love it. 

Reasons why I think Wall Ball Shots are AWESOME and you should start doing them now:

1. You need to use the force of your legs, hips and butt to move the ball above your head.
2. Therefore, you can lift weight over your head without having to lift both of your arms fully.
3. Since you need to use your entire body to do the movement, you’re building up many different muscles.
4. They’re great for cardio.
5. They can give you the skills you need for daily living.

How could throwing a ball in the air help me with daily living skills?

Have you ever struggled to put something overhead because your arm just couldn’t reach? This happens to me frequently.  Sometimes no one is around to help me and, to be honest, I like to be as independent as possible and not have to depend on others to lift things for me.  If it’s something that’s light enough and not breakable, sometimes I throw it up as if I’m doing a Wall Ball Shot! It works!

But how can I do this crazy movement?

            Choose a medicine ball of any weight. I would start out light.  Stand in squat stance, facing a wall, and resting the medicine ball on your chest.  Go into a full squat while keeping your chest high and shoulders back and then thrust up while throwing the ball up with your arms to hit the wall at about eight or ten feet high (or as high as you can).  CrossFit gyms have lines on the walls as a target for where to hit the wall.  It’s okay if both arms don’t reach all the way up.  Mine don’t! The trickiest part is keeping control of the ball and trying to catch it on the way down as you go back into another squat.  This just takes practice!

HAPPY WALL BALL-ING!!

AntiGravity Yoga

               If you're looking to do yoga, but just can't figure out how to do the poses with your affected arm, then maybe AntiGravityYoga is right for you!

I had previously tried Traditional Yoga and Bikram, or Hot, Yoga.  However, I found that weight-bearing on my left arm was nearly impossible and leaning just on my right arm was uncomfortable and felt uneven on my body. My neurologist had recommended Hot Yoga because the warmth allows your muscles to loosen up a bit more, but the heat was too intense for me. However, that's not to say that these classes are not good for people with Erb's palsy. There's no harm in trying! 

On a whim, I tried AntiGravity Yoga and loved it! The first class I attended was called AntiGravity Deep Release at EmergeYoga & Wellness in Bellmore, New York. In this class, the hammocks hang at about six to eight inches from the ground, which is lower than the hammocks in the typical AntiGravity classes. It involves a lot of comfortable stretches, meditation and relaxation. This is still my favorite class and is perfect to do at least once a week to stretch and take some time to relax.

I believe this form of exercise is PERFECT for people living with Erb's Palsy! “AntiGravity Yoga was developed by Christopher Harrison, a former aerial acrobat and gymnast who found traditional yoga too hard on his injured wrists. The weightless poses can be used to strengthen the core as well as relieve aching joints and stretch tight muscles.” What an awesome solution for us as well!

I recommend always speaking with the instructor before class and trying to explain your injury. He or she may be aware of modifications that you may not have known about beforehand.  Good Luck and Happy Flying!

Have you tried AntiGravity Yoga before? What did you think about it? 

Please comment below!

Sources and Additional Information: 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/gym-class-antigravity-yoga/?_r=0

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/yoga/the-benefits-of-antigravity-yoga

Thrusters

           Overhead lifts have been difficult for me ever since starting CrossFit.  Some people have asked how I do CrossFit if I can’t do overhead lifts, but the great thing is that everything can be modified!! Since my left arm can’t actively move above my head, my coaches and I have had to think of some creative exercises to substitute for the usual ones.    Here is a video about thrusters by a coach at Paradiso CrossFit, which describes the movements and little modifications you can do if you can raise your arms overhead.  This is the typical movement.

            However, if you have trouble lifting your arm overhead, like me, I’ve taken some videos of some alternative Thruster options! I don't stick to any one exercise in particular. I like all of them so I think it's good to change it up whenever a Thruster is in a workout!

Option #1: Use a weighted disc and hold it in front of your chest.  Do a squat and use the force of your legs and hips to lift the disc as high as you can.  (Don’t mind my crazy coach Gines in the background of the video.  We have a lot of fun while working out :D)

Option #2: Use two dumbbells and lift them so they’re resting against your shoulders.  Then do a squat (like in Option #1) and lift your good arm all the way and lift your other arm as far as it can go or keep it against your chest (also known as "rack position").

Option #3: Use one dumbbell and hold it in front of your chest with both hands.  Squat and push it as high as it can go comfortably.

If you know of any other modifications for Thrusters or have any questions or comments about these modifications, please comment below! Thanks for reading!

Thanks to the coaches at CrossFit Singular Box for your advice and to my videographer Loni Slatkin!

Getting Past Pull-Ups

I’ve been doing Crossfit for about four years and have always struggled with pull-ups.  I still don’t have enough strength to lift my own body weight so I’ve needed modifications to work the same muscles in a different way.  For a long time, I was told to do ring rows because they simulated pull-ups.  However, I knew that this wasn’t working the exact muscle groups I wanted to eventually progress to Rx pull-ups. 

However, about six months ago the trainers at my gym (thank you Crossfit Singular Box!!), recommended that I put a barbell on J-Hooks at shoulder height.  Then I could do pull-ups from the floor!  (By the way, this isn’t a modification just for me; it’s for anyone who can’t yet do a strict pull-up.)  I thought the idea was awesome and have been doing pull-ups like this ever since.  Here are the methods for doing different types of modified pull-ups...

Method #1: The easiest method is putting your feet in front of you with your knees bent.  Your shins should be perpendicular to the ground and your hips should be under the barbell.  Then keep your shoulders down, elbows as close to your body as you can, and pull-up!

Method #2: The next option is to put your feet behind you with your toes pointed and hips still under the barbell.  Then, just like before, keep your shoulders down, elbows as close to your body as possible, and pull-up!

“But these exercises are too easy for me! I’m using my legs much more than my arms to do the work. Am I doing them correctly?”

Imagine that someone’s hands or a brand new iPhone is under your feet.  Now try pulling up.  I’m sure you didn’t use your legs as much this time! 

Method #3: The last option is doing a jumping pull-up from the bar.  You can put the barbell away now and grab a box (if needed) that will be at the right height for you to do this exercise.  The box will bring you closer to the bar so that you can get your chin over the bar to complete the movement.  If you don't need the box, don't use it.  The exercise is very simple.  Just stand under the bar and jump high enough to help your arms with the pull-up movement. Make sure your arms are doing as much work as they can to pull you up the rest of the way.

Hope this helps and if you have any other tips on doing modified pull-ups, please comment below!

(Video cred. Loni Slatkin - Thank you!)

Nate Gagnon: A CrossFitter with True Strength

There are certain people who will persevere through anything to become great athletes. Nathan Gagnon is one of them. 

While researching Erb's Palsy and CrossFit, I came upon Nate’s profile on the official CrossFit website.  It was clear that he had competed in the CrossFit Open and had done exceptionally well.  As a "CrossFitter" myself, I was impressed that someone with the same injury would be able to complete workouts at the prescribed weight (Rx)¹.  Soon after, I got in touch him and learned more about his life with Erb's Palsy and his experience with CrossFit as a member of Reebok CrossFit Back Bay in Boston, MA.  His story is a great one.  It has inspired me and I’m sure it will do the same for you.

You can follow Nate on Instagram @kairosnate or add him on Facebook to see more of his awesome photos and videos.

Q & A

Have you had Erb's Palsy since birth? How is your arm affected?

I have had Erb's Palsy since birth. At birth, my right arm was completely paralyzed but I eventually regained movement with limited mobility. I can't full extend my arm, have diminished strength in that arm and whole side of my upper body, and have some trouble putting my arm overhead.

Do you have full active range of motion?

I'm not entirely sure what the term "active range of motion" means, but I think so in terms of lifting my arm overhead. I'm weaker on that side, but can hold things overhead at my full extension, so the shoulder mobility is there.