My friends and I used to go to the gym 3 or more times per week. We would lift weights for an hour, then get on the treadmill or stair climber for another 30 minutes. Of course we would leave sweaty and tired, but we felt great! Some months it looked like we were losing weight, but never a lot. The funny thing was, after all that working out, every time we would play softball or basketball together in our leagues, somebody always seemed to get injured. I just couldn’t figure out why. Even I would sustain injuries either from playing sports or just working in my yard. How could that be? I am working out regularly as I was told, yet it seemed I was always hurting. My doctor and my friends would say, “Well you are getting older!” I was frustrated and just refused to believe that in my late thirties I could be hurting this bad.
This is where I began my journey with the muscles. I enrolled in a massage therapy school to learn the basics of muscles. On my first day, I felt something I had never felt before. It was like someone had put a CD in my head of how the muscles work mechanically. I could clearly see the relationship between the bones and muscles. Keep in mind that I had never had much interest in the human body beyond looking good to get dates. This is were I learned the need to relax the muscles to take the pressure off the joints and spine. Bones cannot move on their own and need the muscles for any movement.
Key #1– Lengthen the muscles– After finishing massage school, I was introduced to a man named Aaron Mattes, the founder of Active Isolated Stretching. Aaron taught me that the way we traditionally stretch was incorrect. We hold the stretches too long and apply too much pressure. It cause our brain to fight with us. You have heard of muscle memory, right? Your brain creates habits in how you move, stand, or walk which will prevent pain, regardless of correctness. To create better habits to prevent joint damage or spine damage, we must teach the brain new habits first. Stretching is more emotional than physical. Once you can emotionally release the muscles, then you can physically release the muscles. Any other way is just a short term fix. Check our my websites for more tips on stretching, https://musclerepairshop.com
Key#2– Strengthen muscles– This we all know too well whether we go to the gym or not. The problem is, there are 2 parts to strengthening. The first is the lifting the weights, or your body weight, to build bigger and stronger muscles. Some people will lift heavy weight with less reps for bigger muscles while others may choose a lighter with more reps to avoid big muscles. Either way you will get stronger.
Key #3- Stamina training– This tends to get lumped in with weightlifting and usually forgotten. Most problems people face have to do more with stamina and then pure strength. Unfortunately many people are diagnosed as weak and are told to lift weights. Stamina training involves being able to do an activity for long periods of time without causing the body to fatigue and spasm. Many low back sufferers suffer with this. This is not walking on treadmill or doing a cardio machine at the gym, but doing the activities you enjoy. Start slow and build up your time.
Key #4- Nutrition– Food is always a key component in the making of a healthy body. I like to think of my body as a Ferrari. I would never to put water in the gas tank, right? That would be crazy. I see many of my friends that work out, sit down and eat a high fat meal for the sole purpose of giving them more energy to work out. Feeding your body with fresh vegetables like greens, squashes, lean clean meats(smaller amounts), and healthy fats like avocados is a real key in how healthy your body will be. I am not saying you need to be vegetarian or vegan, though there is nothing wrong with that, but eating a 12-16 oz steak, baked potato with sour cream and butter, and drinking a high sugar drink will negate everything you are trying to obtain at the gym. It is like pouring water in the Ferrari’s gas tank and then complain about how bad it runs.
Living a pain free takes some work and a lot of better decisions about what you eat and choose to do. You can have a great looking body, but still be living in pain. Your pain is about the relationship between your muscles and your bones. It is up to you as to how pain free you live. Better decisions, means a pain free life! Check out our videos at our YouTube channel- http://www.youtube.com/themusclerepairshop, to learn more about the Keys to living Pain Free.
