Sculpting Life with Light: The Free Supplement That Improves Health and Performance

Written by Michael Crawley

Following on from Evelyn’s previous blog post on vitamin D, I want to go deeper into the relationship between sunlight and performance, because light is more than just a source of vitamin D. It interacts with every system in the body, and when used intentionally, it can support energy, recovery, and resilience in powerful ways.

Morning and Evening Light: Nature’s Built-In Protection

Most people intuitively know that sunlight feels different early in the morning and late in the evening. That’s because these times have less UV and more infrared light, which makes them gentler on the skin.

• Morning light prepares your skin for UV exposure later in the day

• Evening light helps repair any UV-related damage by supporting skin recovery
  (Barolet et al. 2016)

This light exposure builds what researchers call a “solar callus”; which is your skin’s tolerance to sunlight. If you skip early and late sun throughout spring and summer, you won’t be adapted to the higher UV exposure of midsummer. Think of it like training volume: if you suddenly try to sprint a marathon without a base, your system isn’t ready.

Light and Nutrition: Feeding the Powerhouse

Nutrition matters for health, performance and recovery, but it’s your mitochondria—the energy factories in your cells—that actually convert nutrients into usable energy.

These mitochondria aren’t just passive processors. They evolved from ancient bacteria that merged with human cells, giving us a massive energy advantage in the evolutionary race (Martin & Mentel, 2010).

Here's the kicker of how it ties in with light:

• Infrared light (especially in the morning and evening) supports mitochondrial function, enhancing energy production and reducing cellular stress (Arranz-Paraíso et al., 2023)

• Always eating meals, indoors under artificial light or while watching a screen, may be hampering energy utilization

• Obviously it is not always possible to eat outside or match the rhythm of the seasons and days. But, if you have the chance to eat breakfast outside or catch the sunrise with your morning coffee, take it. It is certainly a choice I would encourage.  
  

Circadian Rhythm, Injury and Rehab

Circadian rhythm might sound technical, but it's really just your body's internal timing system. Every organ in your body, including your muscles, liver, kidneys, and tendons, has its own internal clock. These clocks help control when key processes like energy production, waste removal, and tissue repair happen.

If everything happens at once, the system falls apart. Imagine working at an airport where every flight tries to take off and land at the same time. That’s what happens in the body when your circadian rhythm is off.

Your body’s master clock (called the suprachiasmatic nucleus) is located just behind your eyes. It keeps all the other cellular clocks running in sync, and it’s set primarily by light, both through your eyes and your skin.

Why It Matters for Injuries

If you're dealing with something like tendinopathy (whether Achilles, patellar, or otherwise), improving your circadian rhythm can help improve your rehab outcomes.

Recent research by Møbjerg et al. (2025) highlights how timing impacts tendon healing and adaptation. Scheduling rehab in the morning or aligning your recovery routine with your body’s natural rhythm can make a meaningful difference.

Cartilage health may also benefit. A 2023 review by Rogers and Meng suggests that long-term outcomes in osteoarthritis and cartilage degeneration could be improved by supporting your circadian health and light environment.

Over time, this is where the airport analogy can occur in the body. The master clock losing control over other body cell clocks.

When Modern Life Gets in the Way

This is where excessive technology at night can create problems. High colour temperature lighting and excessive blue light exposure in the evening can trick the master clock into thinking it is earlier in the day than it actually is.

This exposure mainly comes from phones, laptops, tablets, and modern LED lighting. Over time, this constant signal disruption interferes with the body’s natural timing, making it harder to regulate sleep, recovery, and tissue repair.

Over time, this misalignment disrupts your body's internal timing, which can throw off recovery, sleep, and performance. The result is internal chaos (like our crowded airport) where energy production, healing, and cellular turnover all fall out of sync.

If you're serious about performance or injury rehab, it’s not just about what you do in the gym. It’s also about when and how your body is able to recover. And light plays a bigger role than most people realize.

Easy IMplementation

• Get outside early: Morning sunlight on your skin and eyes before technology or meals can anchor your circadian rhythm.

• Bookend your day with light: Morning and evening light help your body adapt to stronger sun exposure and support repair.

• Rehab with timing: Improving circadian rhythm can help rehabilitate and improve the health of tendons and cartilage.

• Control your night environment: Use soft, warm lighting in the evening. Try candles, red-spectrum bulbs, or blue light filters (e.g., Iris for screens).

You can’t out-supplement a poor light environment. Sunlight is free, powerful, and foundational to human health; and learning to use it wisely can support everything from injury recovery to daily energy.

References

• Barolet D, Christiaens F, Hamblin MR. Infrared and skin: Friend or foe (2016). J Photochem Photobiol B;155:78-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2015.12.014.

• Martin W, Mentel M. The Origin of Mitochondria. Nature Education 3(9):58 (2010).

• Arranz-Paraíso D, et al. Mitochondria and light: An overview of the pathways triggered in skin and retina with incident infrared radiation. J Photochem Photobiol B: Biology (2023), 238, p. 112614. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2022.112614.

• Møbjerg A, et al. Role of the tendon circadian clock in tendinopathy and implications for therapeutics. Int J Exp Pathol. 106(3), 2025.

• Rogers N, Meng QJ. Tick tock, the cartilage clock. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 31(11), 1425-1436 (2023). doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2023.05.010.
  

Strength Training for Longevity: Staying Active, Capable, and Competitive as You Age

For most people, aging means slowing down, getting injured more often, and gradually stepping away from the sports or activities they once loved.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.

At Avos Strength, one of our core goals is helping people stay active and strong enough to keep doing what they love. Whether that’s playing hockey, hiking, running around with grandkids, or competing in tennis well into their seventies.

Longevity isn't just about living longer. It's about being able to play longer.

Strength Training Is the Foundation

The research is clear: strength training is one of the most powerful tools for healthy aging.

The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults engage in strength training at least two times per week. Not just walking. Not just stretching. Strength work.

Why?

Because as we age, we naturally lose:
• Muscle mass (sarcopenia)
• Bone density (osteopenia)
• Balance and coordination
• Speed and power

None of that is inevitable if you stay consistent and take action early.

Strength training helps maintain lean mass, reinforce bone density, improve joint integrity, and significantly reduce the risk of falls, fractures, and injuries. It improves your ability to move, lift, rotate, decelerate, and react. These skills matter whether you’re skiing or just stepping down a curb.

Our Clients Are Proof

We work with clients in their sixties, seventies, and beyond who are still playing high-level sports. Hockey. Tennis. Pickleball. Soccer.

They’re not outliers because of genetics. They’re still going because they’ve trained consistently for years. They’ve built capacity and resilience. And now they’re seeing all their peers slow down, drop off, or get injured while they’re still showing up and performing.

That’s not luck. That’s training age, smart coaching, and commitment.

It's Never Too Late to Start

You don’t need to start in your thirties or forties to benefit from strength training.

We’ve seen people start in their sixties and still build muscle, improve balance, regain confidence, and feel better than they have in years.

The science backs this up. You still have the ability to increase strength, coordination, and motor control at any age. What matters is that you start now and do it with support and structure.

The Right Attitude Is Just as Important

Training isn’t just physical. It’s mental. And the attitude you bring into the gym matters just as much as the exercises you do.

We don’t work with clients who say things like:
"I can’t do that."
"I’m too old."
"That’s not for someone like me."

Because the more you say you can’t, the more you won’t.

You still have the ability to wire new movement patterns, build new neural pathways, and develop new skills. Research shows that your brain and body are capable of adapting well into later life. You just have to give them the opportunity.

We will always coach you safely and program with purpose. But you need to be willing to try.

The clients who see long-term success are the ones who stay curious, open, and engaged. They say yes more than they say no. That mindset carries them forward.

This Is a Lifestyle, Not a 3-Month Fix

At Avos Strength, we don’t believe in quick fixes or short-term programs. This isn’t a three-month transformation. This is long-term development.

Strength training is not just about lifting weights. It’s about:
• Building confidence in your body
• Staying resilient against injury
• Learning skills that stay with you
• Creating structure in your week
• Building meaningful relationships with coaches and teammates who support you

Our clients train with us because they want to live well and play hard for as long as possible. And they enjoy the process along the way.

The Bottom Line

Strength training is one of the best investments you can make for your future self.

Whether you're trying to stay in the game, reduce your injury risk, or simply move better and feel stronger, it’s never too late to start. What matters is that you stay consistent, train with intention, and surround yourself with people who care about your long-term success.

Train. Play. Repeat.

If you're ready to build a strong, capable version of yourself, we’re here for that.
Book a session with Avos Strength and let’s get started.

Why Dorsiflexion Matters in Plyometric Drills

In plyometric drills—whether it’s bounding, skipping, or pogo hops you’ll often hear the cue:

“Dorsiflex your foot!”

But why does that matter?

Dorsiflexion (pulling your toes up toward your shin) might seem like a small technical detail, but it has a big impact on performance, coordination, and injury prevention.

You can see in the above video how I dorsiflex my foot (by pulling my toes up) as I’m in the air, before I land again for the next pogo hop.

1. Prepares the Ankle for Stiffness and Quick Rebound

Dorsiflexion creates a rigid lever at the ankle joint, allowing the lower leg and foot to act like a spring. This increases reactive strength—your body’s ability to quickly absorb and release force—which is essential for explosive movements. The result? Shorter ground contact times and a faster, more elastic rebound off the ground.

📚 Weyand et al. (2000) showed that faster sprinters generate higher vertical forces during short ground contact times, a quality supported by stiff ankle positions.
📚 Nagahara et al. (2014) observed that dorsiflexion supports greater horizontal force during sprinting due to increased ankle stiffness.

2. Optimizes Force Transfer

A dorsiflexed foot puts your lower leg in the right position to transmit force efficiently. When your foot is loose or pointed downward (plantarflexed), energy leaks through the ankle, reducing your power output. Dorsiflexing locks the chain in place so every contact helps drive you forward instead of absorbing momentum.

3. Enhances Neural Readiness and Coordination

Dorsiflexion activates key stabilizing muscles like the tibialis anterior, reinforcing good joint alignment and movement mechanics. It trains your body to better coordinate the timing of your stride or jump, improving motor control for athletic skills like sprinting, decelerating, or changing direction. Over time, this improves both performance and efficiency.

📚 Fong et al. (2011) and others note that anterior tibialis activation is essential for controlled foot placement and efficient ground interaction in gait and athletic movement.

4. Encourages Safer Movement Patterns

A dorsiflexed position encourages midfoot or forefoot landings, reducing heel striking and lowering the impact forces on joints like the knees, hips, and lower back. It also places the ankle in a more stable and neutral position, which may reduce stress on the joint and contribute to safer mechanics.

• Improved dorsiflexion range correlates with better movement quality

  Malloy et al. (2015) found that limited dorsiflexion increases knee valgus angles during landing—a known risk factor for ACL injury.

• Restricted dorsiflexion is associated with compensations and faulty loading

  Research links poor ankle mobility to increased loading on the knees and altered jumping/landing strategies (Macrum et al., 2012).

• There’s indirect evidence of injury risk reduction

  While not a guarantee against injury, dorsiflexion encourages mechanics that are commonly associated with reduced strain on the ankle, shin, and knee.

• Causal proof is still limited

  There are no large-scale RCTs proving dorsiflexion prevents injuries—but its contribution to stable, efficient movement is well established.

Final Takeaway

Dorsiflexion isn’t just about how your foot looks—it’s about how your body moves. It helps you jump higher, land better, and sprint faster while reinforcing movement quality that may help reduce injury risk. In high- speed, high-impact movements, the little things make a big difference.

Train. Play. Repeat.

Curious how small technical tweaks can level up your movement? Book a session at Avos Strength and let’s break it down.

Rethinking Barefoot Shoes: Why They Might Not Be Right for You

Barefoot shoes have become a go-to choice for people wanting to “fix” their feet or move more naturally. They’re light, flexible, and promote toe splay—all great things in theory. But when you look at how most of us actually live and move today, barefoot shoes may not be the solution they’re marketed to be.

Barefoot Shoes Were Designed for a Different Environment

These shoes are inspired by the way we used to move: walking on grass, dirt, sand, and other uneven terrain. Environments that challenged the foot to adapt, respond, and build strength.

But that’s not how we move now. Most people walk on flat, hard surfaces—sidewalks, tile, gym floors, concrete. Take away all the structure and cushioning, and you’re now asking your foot to do more work without the natural variability it needs to do it well.

This mismatch often leads to increased strain on the feet, knees, and hips.

Why Feeling the Ground Isn’t Always Enough

A common argument for barefoot shoes is “feel the ground.” But without something to push into, that sensation can become meaningless—or worse, problematic.

Your foot is meant to roll in, absorb force, and push off. When a shoe doesn’t give you any structure to push into, your body can’t organize movement efficiently. That can lead to things like:

• Flat, collapsed arches

• Overworking small foot muscles

• Tight calves and ankles

• Poor balance and control during walking or training

What’s Good About Barefoot Shoes (And What’s Missing)

To be clear, barefoot shoes do some things well:

• Wide toe boxes let your toes spread naturally

• Thin soles improve sensory feedback

• Zero-drop heels encourage a more upright posture

But on consistently flat, hard ground, these same features can become stressors. They remove too much structure—leaving your body with no support to work with. It’s not that they’re bad, but they aren’t ideal for most people living modern, indoor lives.

What to Look for in a Shoe That Supports You

Instead of going fully minimal, consider footwear that strikes a better balance between freedom and structure. A well-designed shoe should:

✅ Have a Firm Heel

Helps with stability during walking and lifting by anchoring the back of your foot.

✅ Be Flexible at the Toes

Let your big toe extend so you can push off properly during movement.

✅ Offer Moderate Arch Support

Just enough to guide motion—not restrict it. Especially important for those with flat feet or instability.

✅ Include a Slight Heel Drop (4–8 mm)

This small lift can take pressure off the calves and improve overall gait mechanics.

✅ Provide Cushion for Flat Surfaces

Some padding helps absorb repetitive impact from walking and training on hard floors all day.

Note: I’m talking here about everyday shoes—the ones you wear to walk, run errands, train, or do light accessory work. For heavy, bilateral lifts like deadlifts, I’ll still lift barefoot or in minimalist shoes. The shoes I recommend above can be versatile enough to train in, but not ideal for max-effort strength work. It all depends on the context, and at the end of the day what works best for you.

The Bottom Line

Barefoot shoes can be useful—in the right environment, and for the right person. But for most people training, walking, and living on hard, flat surfaces, they often cause more problems than they solve.

A good shoe doesn’t just let you feel the ground—it gives you something to push into. It should support how your body moves and make your life easier, not harder.

Why You Should Rethink How You Row: The Truth About Shoulder Blade Cues

You’ve probably heard it before:
"Pull your shoulder blades together.”
It’s a cue that’s been passed around gyms and group classes for years.

But here’s the truth: overemphasizing scapular retraction during pulling exercises — like rows and pulldowns — can limit shoulder health, breathing mechanics, and strength development.

If you care about moving better, not just lifting more, it's time to rethink how you row.

1. Over-Retraction Limits Ribcage Expansion

When you cue scapular retraction too forcefully during a row or pulldown, you compress your upper back and limit ribcage movement. This restricts natural thoracic mobility and can impact your ability to breathe and move efficiently under load.

👉 See more on mobility training

2. It Disrupts Scapulohumeral Rhythm

The scapula and humerus are designed to move together in a fluid, coordinated rhythm. Forcing the shoulder blades into retraction first interrupts that sequence. This increases joint stress and decreases the efficiency of your movement — especially in horizontal pulling patterns.

3. You Miss Out on Serratus Activation and Posterior Expansion

When you stop at scapular retraction, you lose out on the benefits of a full reach — which promotes serratus anterior engagement and helps open up the back of the ribcage. This reach improves shoulder function and breathing capacity, particularly for clients struggling with postural restrictions or breathing mechanics.

4. It Reinforces Compensatory Movement Patterns

Cues like "pinch your shoulder blades" often drive people into extension-based strategies — excessive lumbar arching, rib flaring, and overuse of the lats and lower back.

Instead, focus on staying stacked: ribs over pelvis, neutral spine, and movement that flows from a stable foundation.

👉 Learn more about injury prevention strategies

What Proper Row and Pulldown Mechanics Look Like

• Elbow leads the movement — not the scapula

• Scapula glides naturally with the arm

• Reach at the start and end for full range

• Spine stays neutral, not overextended

• Breathing stays consistent throughout the set

Better Cues to Use Instead

• “Elbow to back pocket.”

• “Let the shoulder blade follow the arm.”

• “Reach at the end — don’t stop at the shoulder blade.”

• “Stack your ribs over your hips.”

Want to train smarter?

If you’re tired of outdated cues and want coaching that prioritizes biomechanics, breathing, and real-world strength — we can help.

👉 Explore our Personal Training or Hybrid Coaching Programs

Let’s build strength that lasts.
Contact Us to get started.

Uncovering the Hidden Cause of Scapular Winging: A Comprehensive Approach

Have you ever noticed your shoulder blade sticking out awkwardly? This is called scapular winging. You might have been told that it’s due to a problem with your serratus anterior and that reaching or punching exercises are the key to fixing it.

However, there’s more to the story. Most advice on scapular winging overlooks a critical element that can make all the difference.

The Overlooked Role of the Scapulothoracic Joint

While much attention is given to the muscles surrounding the scapula, the ribcage, which acts as their stage, is often ignored. The scapula is concave, needing a convex surface to move smoothly. This surface is provided by the ribcage.

But what happens when there are restrictions in the ribcage? The ribcage might position itself forward in relation to the scapula, creating the appearance of scapular winging. This isn’t a problem with the scapula itself; rather, the shoulder blade lacks a stable platform to move upon.

The Rotator Cuff’s Dual Function

Commonly, the rotator cuff is thought to solely influence the shoulder joint. Yet, these muscles also play a significant role in moving the scapula. The posterior rotator cuff muscles, specifically the infraspinatus and teres minor, facilitate internal rotation of the scapula. This movement can make the inner border of the scapula lift away from the ribcage, mimicking scapular winging.

When there is insufficient space between the scapula and the thorax, these muscles are forced to multitask, acting on both the humerus and the scapula.

Understanding Ribcage Expansion

The relationship between the thorax and scapula is well-documented. Poor posture, which often limits ribcage expansion, can greatly reduce shoulder mobility. When the ribcage doesn't expand adequately, it restricts scapular movement and places additional stress on the humerus. Therefore, enhancing ribcage expansion is crucial to improving overall shoulder function including scapular winging.

Step by Step Process to Help Improve Ribcage Expansion

To effectively address scapular winging, we must enhance ribcage dynamics through a specific sequence of exercises:

1. Increase Front-to-Back Thoracic Shape (Anterior and Posterior Expansion)

2. Fill the Gap Between the Ribs and Shoulder Blade (Upper Back Expansion)

3. Retrain Scapular Gliding (Chest Expansion and Glenohumeral Mechanics)

Step 1: Front-to-Back Expansion

Enhancing the front-to-back dimension of the ribcage can be achieved through a side-lying position with a foam roller:

Setup: Position a foam roller at the middle third of your ribcage, approximately at chest height. Use a pillow for comfort if necessary to support your head.

Position: Lie on your side with your knees stacked.

Action: Roll forward and slightly sidebend over the foam roller, you can reach forward as shown in the video or reach your top arm toward the ceiling while looking at your hand. You can even hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in an arm bar position while on the roller.

Breathing: Inhale silently through your nose. On the exhale, relax into the foam roller.

Reps: Perform 2-3 sets of five breaths, twice daily for 2-4 weeks

Step 2: Upper Back Expansion

Next, we aim to create space between the ribs and the shoulder blade by driving upper-back expansion: (Rolling drills are great for achieving this)

Setup: Set up depends on the variation, for the first variation, sit on the floor with both feet in front of you.

Position: Hold onto your legs by grabbing behind your knees, keeping your eyes forward.

Action: Inhale and roll backward, then exhale and roll forward, keep a nice rhythmic tempo.

Reps: Do 3 sets of 8-12 rolls (per side), a few times daily for 2-4 weeks.

Step 3: Chest Expansion

To facilitate proper scapular movement, we need to expand the front of the chest. The "pump handle" action of the ribcage can be stimulated using a downward dog position:

Setup: Begin on your hands and knees with hands below shoulders and knees below hips.

Contact Points: Focus on the pisiform (small wrist bone) and the base of the index finger.

Action: Exhale and lift your hips upward while keeping weight on your hand points and looking toward your feet.

Breathing: Inhale silently through your nose. On the exhale, press more heavily through the hand points.

Note: unlike the video you can also pause and breathe in the top position.

Reps: Perform 2-3 sets of five breaths breathing in the hips up position, then do 6-12 reps of the bear to down dog. Perform twice daily for 2-4 weeks.

Conclusion

Scapular winging is not solely a scapular issue. It's a complex interaction between the scapula and the ribcage. Addressing ribcage expansion can provide a stable base for the scapula to glide efficiently, reducing undue stress on the rotator cuff muscles.

By focusing on improving the dynamics of your ribcage, you can create a better environment for your shoulder blade, leading to enhanced mobility and reduced discomfort. Remember, a well-supported scapula is key to healthy shoulder function.