Most people never think about old age until they are in their 50’s and 60’s. I remember when I was 49, my friends started teasing me about all the pain I would start feeling after I turned 50. Though they were teasing, my friends, like most people actually do believe this. Most people think that there is something about 40,50,or 60 that causes aches and pain. The truth is it takes 40 or 50 years of abuse before it catches up to us.
If we could teach young people how to care for their bodies correctly, many aches and pains that plague older people would disappear. This change in our lives could have a major impact on health care costs.
Do you think that going to the gym is enough. Maybe you prefer yoga, pilates, or any other activity for fitness. All of these are great ways to increase your strength, but can lead to injuries because we leave out releasing the muscles. The core question should always be, am I stretching or strength training? Even in yoga, if you are holding poses, you are stamina training which is not stretching, or releasing, the muscles. Once you learn how to release your muscles emotionally, then releasing physically becomes easier. This can be harder than it sounds.
Stretching is very meditative if done correctly. You must feel your muscles letting go and slowly apply gentle pressure to give you brain time to release. Without doing this, you are just strength training which will tighten your muscles as if you were lifting weights.
Our muscles can tighten from stressful thoughts. Think about this, “Have you ever seen a stressed person look relaxed?” No! Their bodies are tight and that tightness comes from the thoughts they are having. My point is, when stretching,if you are thinking about the errands you must do, the bills that need to be paid, or the things you dread doing, you are tightening you muscles and therefore cannot stretch your body.
When you see a yogi master stretching, the music is very soft and soothing, it is quiet, and they are focused only on their body. It is difficult to stretch listening to fast paced music, weights clanging around, or people talking loud around you. Your brain has to relax before it can relax your muscles.
Some muscle experts will speak of muscle memory. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that every muscle has its own brain. We only have one brain and it creates the habits we do every day. If you change what you think, you can change how you feel. How many times have we heard motivation gurus say that? The reason is our brain determines how well we feel based on our habits. Change your habits, your life changes.
Please leave your comments below and suggest any new topics you want to hear about. You can watch and learn from my videos at my YouTube channel, The Muscle Repair Shop, or visit my website at www.MuscleRepairShop.com
