Extreme athlete Gela Allmann in an interview about neuroathletic exercises after severe injuries
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Gela Allmann is an extreme endurance athlete, sports model and author: In April 2014, while filming in Iceland, she fell over 800 meters and survived with severe injuries. Neuroathletic exercises helped her stay fit after the accident.
ARTZT: Gela, from 100 to 0 and back again. How does that work?
Gela: With the right life motto:
Fight - Fight wholeheartedly for your goals and take responsibility for your life and your body.
Smile - Smile, even if life puts obstacles in your way, and always believe in yourself.
Love - Love yourself, your environment, and your fellow human beings, and be grateful for every small step.
Our lives are full of challenges, big and small. Be it in sports, professional, or private matters. Rarely does everything go according to plan. I am just as imperfect as any other person, but my great strength is: What I set my mind to, I achieve! It is important to start and to have a positive outlook on things. With these thoughts, I succeeded in fighting my way back into life.
ARTZT: How do you stay fit?
Gela: Besides family, work and everyday life, short breaks, and a balanced diet, regular training helps me. Realistic goals, personal responsibility, and the willingness to make time for training are important. Motivating small equipment helps me overcome my inner slacker. With small exercise videos, I also share my enthusiasm for training with my followers. This not only keeps me fit but also others.
Neuroathletic training offers people the opportunity to work on their individual performance.
ARTZT: As part of our collaboration, you got an insight into neuroathletic training. Pieter Grimm, one of our Z-Health Neuro Coaches, accompanied you and your husband Andi Wittmann (former MTB freeride professional) in this regard. How did you both find it?
Gela: We found it super exciting to experience the effects that targeted neurocentric exercises have on our "injured" bodies. I mainly worked on sensory perception, balance, and my eyes, and it was exciting to see where my weaknesses lie and what can develop from neuroathletic training.
The exercises were strenuous, especially since I'm not used to working that way – but I quickly noticed progress. For Andi and me, neurotraining has become a key to improving one's weaknesses or individual movement limitations. It's amazing how you can influence how your own brain controls the body. These exercises are wonderful for training that. It was an interesting experience.
ARTZT: In your opinion, is neuroathletic training only for athletes?
Gela: No, not at all. I believe neuroathletic training offers every person the opportunity to work on their individual performance with a different adjustment screw. Especially the targeted work on one's own field of vision and the exercises to improve balance are, in my opinion, beneficial for everyone, from toddlers to seniors.
ARTZT: Will you continue to work with this form of training, or what does it bring to your sport?
Gela: Definitely! Even if I felt a little strange doing some of the exercises at the beginning of the training. I quickly realized how much positive impact it can have. It's cool to get involved. I'm still often fast in the mountains, for example, when ski touring downhill. By coupling my sensory perceptions faster, I can be faster and, above all, safer in the long run with this training.
About Gela Allmann
The life of the sports scientist, who is known for her extreme sports such as mountain running and ski mountaineering and who made it to the top in races like MountAttack and the German Championships, seemed to be over forever. But then Gela achieved what others thought impossible.
With her tireless willpower, the support of family, friends and rehab experts, and a good dose of optimism, Gela Allmann fought her way back to life. Today, she is once again actively involved in sports, a mother of two children, and is back on top with her motto "Fight! Smile! Love!" – on the speaker's stage and in her beloved mountains.
This article was originally published on artztneuro.com on 22.08.2022
Written by Jonas Schön
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