Photo courtesy of Checkered Photography

Testimonial for Jan "Kiki" carton

In May 2008 I suffered a freak accident. As a known sleep walker the low balustrade of my Balinese hotel room's third storey balcony served as more of a trip wire than a safety mechanism to my 6foot frame and I fell 3 storeys, head first.

As I ricocheted of neighbouring awnings I lacerated my right scalp and was knocked unconscious. I awoke in a Balinese hospital the next day and was told I was lucky to be alive but it was uncertain if I'd ever walk again.

The fall nearly took my life. Many took pity on me, but the events that followed changed my life forever and today I consider the accident to be the best thing to ever happen to me.

After 10 days in hospital, it was revealed to me that I had fractured my neck (C6, C7 and T1 vertebrae) as well as sustained a severe head injury.

My life up until this point had been devoted to my career in professional surfing. In surfing I had sustained knee injuries and one in particular had an arduous road to recovery and I would later learn it could have been handled a lot better.

Recovering from a broken neck had a considerably smaller margin for error than any injury I had ever experienced so I couldn't afford to have anything overlooked or mismanaged. Luckily for me, my pro surfing peers, put me in contact with Jan "Kiki" carton and chek Australia.

During my rehabilitation I learned so much about myself and how much better my life could be with the new information Kiki was continually sharing with me.

In as little 3 months from the time of my accident, the success of rehabilitation had my orthopaedic surgeon dumbfounded. Never in his 35year career as an orthopaedic surgeon had he witness a cervical fracture vanish from a ct scan at 13weeks.

8 years on and I not only walk, but I surf most days and I have even contested and won an international surfing event since recovering from this life threatening accident. I have also pursued my passion for music and made that into a career.

Kiki's depth of understanding of how to restore health, happiness and function in the human body is unparalleled in my opinion. So much have I learned from this magnificent women. I have endless things to thank her for.

I am proud to say that not only did Kiki put my feet back on the ground after this life threatening injury, but she help me to find the courage to pursue my dreams without restriction and to continually dig deeper into who I am and who I want to be.

To Kiki her clients are like family and I'm just so grateful to be part of that family. So grateful to have a friend and mentor with such a depth of knowledge and such a sincerity to her intent for everyone she encounters.

If you're ready to work on yourself to experience yourself better than you ever have, than Kiki has the way. No bigger recommendation could I make for any person I've ever met. Start your journey today.

Christian Chapman, an amazing Surfer, shaper and Artist was kind enough to send this in to us at Chek Australia. After initial knee surgery that failed, then 12months later presenting with the same pain symptoms he went to surgery for. Christian came into Chek Australia, It was then that he embarked on a journey of self discovery. Today he surfs crazier than ever & loving life. 

NEWS  FLASH !!

ENROL NOW,  YOUR  INVITATION  TO   - 

OUR POWERFUL, IN -DEPTH TRANSFORMATIONAL  PROGRAM  FOR WOMEN.
Click on Brochure above.

( Only a few places left - book now, last course for the year of 2013 )

New and Improved CHEK Australia Traineeship by Jan Carton 

Jan Carton from CHEK Australia has designed a all New Traineeship which will start 9th May 2013, to lock into the 5 day Intensive CHEK Coach.

Expressions of interests: 

Please email admin@chekaustralia.com.au if you would like more information sent to you.

CHEK Update

This morning we did a Early morning training session for three Seasoned Tough Mudders,

Who won the Push the Steel Post over, ??? - I don't know they are still down there at Burleigh Beach going at it..

Jan on the other hand saw sense and decided to train with her 3 year old Grand daughter Lilly..

Pre Season training now in action for the next Tough Mudder in Brisbane in August, if interested in how to achieve this with no overuse injuries, Specialized training, Nutrition, Balance Work.. Check in with Jan at Chek Australia.. Trainer to the World Champions..

We would like to give Big Thank you to all our Beautiful family of clients who helped us with the move from our premises.

It was a breeze, and  we even had our special boy Todd, show up and help, Obviously the surf wasn't Pumpin in Yamba on the day..

Phone number to contact us on while we are locating a new premise 0434 022 071.

We are fully operational, so please call for details.. 

We would also like to give a HUGE Thanks to Pete Stanton & Paul Briggs, who have kindly offered us the use of their amazing premises in TOWNSHIP DRIVE…, and to Chris Roberts, from Height and Safety, where Kymmie and I are conducting all of our Clinical work..

My apologies, to all our family of clients for the unexpected move, but a bigger and better place is  waiting for us now..

Keep an eye on the Blog for progress report.

New online training site launched: Ultimate Surfing Trainer

ULTIMATE SURF TRAINING is an on-going, semi-personalised and interactive training program created especially for surfers, both professional and recreational, by experienced industry professionals. Our program focuses on key fitness areas that target specific pathways that will assist in improving overall surfing performance and quality of life. By participating in UST, you can expect to see awesome improvements in your surfing technique and all-round performance, as well as significantly increasing your resilience and injury resistance over time.

Our approach to training involves focusing on six fundamental areas that synergistically work together to help you to achieve your surfing goals sooner than you thought possible. By partnering with us in surf training, you not only set yourself on the path to becoming a stronger and more skilled surfer, but also will increase your personal fitness levels, improve coordination and bump up your overall health and wellbeing, allowing you to enjoy a higher quality of life. Watch how good you feel after a few months of participating in our program!

http://www.ultimatesurfingtrainer.com

BACK PAIN CLIENTS TACKLE ABSAILING !

 Last weekend, a group of friends and I found ourselves up on the Mountains of Binna Burra.  It was a warm Sunny day with the threat of rain looming around us. we all stood in the reception area of the lodge, as we were being instructed on our Harness Equipment and all the Safety factors needed for our days activities of Absailing.

For the majority of us (the group was of 10), this was our first Absailing adventure. It was a real challenge as 6 of us were terrified of heights, so this was to be a special day.

We set off and achieved our first Absail of 10 meters. All good and everyone had made it with a smile.

As we were getting ready for our next Jump, our Guide asked me how we all knew each other, I said 'Oh we are all friends from my work'.

And it was then that it had hit me, that all of the people there are clients of mine and all of them had come in initially with serious Spinal Back pathologies.

There was Lennie who had nearly severed his Spinal Chord in a boating accident, he had Disc Herniations and Spondylothesis , and on the first day I met him he was in so much pain he could not even stand to talk to me. Lennie couldn’t even pick up his young 7month old baby he was in so much pain. He was told surgery was his only option.

He can now throw little Levi above his head, Surf and enjoy life. He and wife Kerry are now expecting their 2^nd child.

Moritz, he is from Austria, a young guy who had previously been competitive in Snow Boarding, Surfing, Moritz had been plagued by back pain for years and had not been able to surf for 12months because of pain, he also found sitting to perform his work in IT was near impossible. Moritz , now sits for hours at work perfectly, and is back surfing , and as he says, He has never surfed so well in his life.

Matt, had long term history of Disc Protusion and dysfunction, he also is an avid Surfer, and also had not been able to surf for years, Matt was written off as a Disability level . He was so depressed with life and had lost all hope that he could ever be out of pain, much less surf again. His is not only climbing mountains again, but he is fully back into surfing better than ever.

Phil , is an electrician, he has suffered a spinal fracture and disc derangements. Phis had been off work on Work cover for a long time, trying all sorts of rehab , but could never get on top of it.  Phil was very down and had lost a lot of confidence. He is an amazing person, in the way he has fought back, now he is not only absailing but Surfing again, and enjoying long periods of sitting to his favourite game of Poker..

Steve, is a Business Owner and Plumber, and a Glider Pilot.  Steve had a long history of back problems, disc derangements, Sacroiliac dysfuction chronic, and was in a lot of pain daily. Steve has been pain free for a while now, he and his wife Yvonne jumped on that day. how wonderful to be able to do those things again with his family, he now enjoys Gliding, Surfing, again and Life.

Isabelle, is from Brisbane, Isabelle was only 18 when she came into see me with  a severe spinal scoliosis, she was in a lot of pain and the only alternative to this she was told, was to have her whole spine fused with 2 steel rods. They would then stay in for the rest of her life.. She was not happy about this forecast.. Isabelle has been able to totally avoid Surgery, her spinal curves have improved dramatically, and she now does not suffer with pain.

Isabelle , by the way was the most courageous out of all the people there, even the big boys.

All of the above men are in their late 20’ or early 30’s, they are now living pain free fully functional , happy lives and back into sports and lifestyles they never thought would be possible. Each one of them has been on their own personal journey to learn about their body, mind, health, lifestyle.  To believe and have confidence in themselves again.

It was such an amazing day to watch each of them as they laughed, encouraged, heckled each other, and then had so much fun, as they tied themselves to a little rope and jumped backwards off a mountain side.

During their Rehab to end stage rehab we have all grown close as family, and looking forward to our next adventure of Air Rope climbing..  Now that will be scary.

Thanks Jude for organizing such an amazing adventure..

Sincerely,

Jan Carton…

Jamie Mitchell wins his 10th World Title!

CONGRATULATIONS JAMIE YOU ARE A LEGEND!!! 

We are so proud of Jamie. All his hard work and determination shows in this amazing record breaking result. See News Flash below!

Australian Jamie Mitchell won his 10th straight Molokai-2-Oahu World Championship Paddle Board Race Sunday, breaking the previous record that he set with a finish time of around 4 hours and 40 minutes.
The 34-year-old set the previous record in 2007 with a time of 4 hours, 48 minutes, 23 seconds.
This is the 15th year for the Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championship, which organizers say is the largest field of international competitors.
More than 250 athletes are participating in the race, facing the 32-mile open-ocean paddle of the Kaiwi Channel.
(taken from http://www.kitv.com/r/28722576/detail.html )

Crazy dayz!

Sam Bowden & Chris Musgrave think they are so good at training they decided to create a challenge for themselves. They proved to us that when they look like women they are better at receiving multi-directional forces while at kneeling on a swiss ball ! ha go boys!

Sign up now for Traineeship

CHEK Australia is happy to announce that we will be commencing our next

CHEK Exercise Coach Traineeship on

Thursday 11th August 2011.

For more information navigate to our testimonial page or contact Jai on (07)55766678

Look at Lenny!

Lenny is a great example of Jan's success with Back pain clients. Have a read of Lennys Testimonial below.

" Seventeen years ago I almost severed my spinal cord in a ski race boat accident. At the time of the accident I was unsure if I would be able to walk again. From that point in time I learnt to live with my back pain and got use to the idea it would become part of my life.

After the last stint in hostpital and talk of a back operation a good friend of mine recommended to give Chek Australia a call.
From my first consultation with Jan I have never looked back. Jan's approach was to not just treat my specific injury but my body as a whole both physically and mentally. Building myself up through the phases of rehabilatation over the last eight months has been challenging and extemely rewarding.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have met and trained with Jan and the crew at chek Australia.Their knowledge, experience and support has been invaluable and has changed my life forever. "
Lennie Signorini




CHALLENGE JAN TO A TRAINING SESSION

Dan Ross can only just keep up with Jan as she trains and looking at these photos you can see why! Check out the rig on her!

Dan, Jan and Jude ....Ummmmm the photo says it all really!

 Ted and Carnage go for a paddle when no one is looking! Take a look at the NEVER GIVE UP page on the top of this BLOG for the story on Carnage.

Now you're just showing off Dan!

Jamie Mitchell training today at CHEK Australia

Jan claims these chin ups are all her doing...'look at the form' she cries in excitement and this is after 3 sets ! Jamie prepares for a paddle race this weekend.
The Moloki race will be in late July in Hawaii and Jamie will be aiming for his 10th world title.

After his session Jamie wanted to pass out on the floor next to this little man, but he had to go paddle 50kms ! ha!

Kayaking –Orienteering race on weekend

If you or your business are interested in some team building activities this could be just the thing! Call us for more information on Corporate Orienteering with Jude.

Looks like the team at CHEK Australia had a great time. Check out Jan's rig!

Jan's Chooks!

This is a tale of a special Chicken....
Jan heard a loud noise and chickens going crazy in the shed a few weeks ago and came to their rescue to find one special teenage chicken being strangled by a carpet snake. She tried to coil the snake onto a rake but had no luck so decided to scream for help ! Luckily the guy next door heard cries from a damsel in distress and ran to her aid, a chickens aid! He got the snake off the chicken but it spasmodically fell to the ground. Dead.
Jan raced to pick it up, the neighbour told Jan she couldn't save it, it was gone. Jan DIDN'T GIVE UP , she gave the little creature mouth to mouth and a few compressions, she talked to it and held it closely. Then with one more breath the little fella kicked into gear!
Back to life and running around happy and chirpy...happy to be alive.
How amazing is that! I don't think many of us have bought a chick back to life.

Thought for today: NEVER GIVE UP!

Horses!

Because Jan loves her horses I thought today's BLOG should be dedicated to them! Here are some quirky quotes to make your day.

All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay, and he'll listen to me any day. ~Author Unknown

Again the early-morning sun was generous with its warmth. All the sounds dear to a horseman were around me - the snort of the horses as they cleared their throats, the gentle swish of their tails, the tinkle of irons as we flung the saddles over their backs - little sounds of no importance, but they stay in the unconscious library of memory. ~Wynford Vaughan-Thomas

The horse through all its trials has preserved the sweetness of paradise in its blood. ~Johannes Jensen

Horses lend us the wings we lack. ~Author Unknown

In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have. Eleven-hundred pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs - it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster. ~Author Unknown

Jamie Mitchell training today at CHEK Australia

Here is a sneak peak at an exercise from Jamies new program.

A Day at CHEK Australia

Donovan putting his CHEK Coach skills into practice while Ebony (below) works on her makeup application!

Its a Hand Stand kind of day!

In this video Jan Carton takes FMX rider Brodie Carmichael through a hand stand push-up against a wall. Brodie has sustained more injuries than most, so attempting this exercise deserves massive accolades!

In March 2010 Brodie broke his back attempting a back flip and after being airlifted to hospital began rehabilitation with Jan. After only two months of training he returned to motocross and landed a back flip first try. He says Jan prepared him both mentally and physically and he went on to land another 80 that same day.

Brodie has more recent injuries and stories of success and he is soon to feature in our NEVER GIVE UP section..... stay tuned it is coming soon.

For a great video of Brodie in action take a look at

http://www.facebook.com/people/Brodie-Carmichael/100001513505723#!/video/video.php?v=154064007987382&comments&set=t.100001513505723&type=1

FIRST AID and CPR on soon!

Contact us for more information on the CPR and First aid course to be held on Saturday the 30th April. Numbers are filling up so get in quick!!