Find the Inherent Joy and Wisdom In your Body... .

No More Back Pain

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:09:49 +0000

Sometimes it really is simple. Sometimes pain and problems only persist because we don’t know how to move more easily, more comfortably.
As most books on fitness and exercise describe, every muscle attaches to two or more bones. And every movement involves some muscles contracting while muscles on opposite sides of the bones and joints lengthen. When muscles on opposite sides work efficiently, harmoniously, movement is easy.
When it’s hard to bend, turn, reach, etc., opposite muscles are contracting instead of lengthening. Moreover, when opposite muscles are contracting simultaneously, the muscles and bones squeeze nerves, blood vessels, cartilage, and other tissues. That squeezing is a cause of acute pain. If it persists, the squeezing prevents the tissues from being nourished, lubricated, and able to dispose of waste. That can damage the tissues and cause chronic pain. Tissue damage can also occur in the absence of pain if the nerves are impaired or desensitized.
The problem may not be just the area that is most painful, for example the lower back. You may not be moving your middle and upper back freely, and the movement in your shoulders, neck, hip joints, arms, and legs be limited.
The key to eliminating back pain and other problems is learning to move easily, efficiently, naturally like a child. That means muscles contract only when necessary and appropriate while opposite muscles lengthen. It also means aligning the skeleton with gravity and other forces so the force is transmitted through the bones, not the muscles or other tissues. And it means doing that in everyday activities. Moving has to be easy, comfortable, feel right. In other words, it has to be a good habit. Conscious control and careful alignment are not enough.
Almost all young children move beautifully, naturally. They’re much more flexible than adults and stronger for their size and weight. They have more stamina and recover more quickly and completely from illnesses and injuries. They have not yet formed habits of stiffening, straining, and holding the breath; every adult has some such habits, often many of them. At any age, however, we can outgrow those habits in much the same way that young children learn to walk and outgrow crawling. The key to that learning is becoming more aware.
To sense and think about your skeleton, gravity, and how every act involves muscles throughout the body, to be aware consciously of what young children do spontaneously.

Breath…

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:19:35 +0000

When someone asks you to breath, what is the first thing you do? Inhale? Try inhaling right now. Take a few breaths. How does it feel- deep and effortless or shallow, labored?

Now concentrate on exhaling, that’s right exhale. Really squeeze your chest and abdominal muscles, let yourself relax on the inhale. Push the exhale, let go on the inhale. Try this a few times. Now how does your breathing feel. Easier?

It is a little known fact, yet a very important one, that the brain monitors the acidity of the blood to determine how rapidly you should breathe. The acidity is a direct result of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). The higher the CO2 the faster and harder our brain requires us to breath. The amount of oxygen (O2) is the blood is a secondary indicator not the primary! CO2 and O2 share the same molecule in our red blood cells and therefore to get the O2 we need our bodies must expel the CO2.

When we exhale we are expelling CO2. It is during the exhale that the red blood cells in the lungs exchange the CO2 for O2. The more deeply we can exhale the more toxic CO2 is released from the blood and body and the more O2 can be absorbed. The more O2 the better you can think and more easily move.

So exhale deeply and relax while the O2 comes in!

Spring is Springing in the Northern Part of the Earth!!!

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:59:12 +0000

Spring is such a great time of year to see movement everywhere, flowers moving up through the ground, trees budding, birds and migrating, becoming active. I come from a farming family so spring was extremely busy with the birth of baby horses, planting and watching the weather!

Movement also keeps us feeling stronger and alive. Even a short stroll to sit on a bench outside in the warm sun can be a great activity. Gentle movement throughout the day helps to pump blood, lymph and nutrients through the body and keep our joints lubricated.

The latest studies in neurological science show that movement is essential for an active brain and nervous system, that our capacity to think and figure out problems is greater in those that are active at any age.

I gently challenge you, as I am challenging myself, to find easy ways throughout your day to stay active, and have fun!!!!! Wiggling as if you were 4 years old may be the place to start!!!!

Movement and fear, what is stopping you from recovering?

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:31:00 +0000

I remember when I was a kid how I loved to run, jump, skip and fall. Yes fall. Do you remember running toward your favorite hill and just at the top you would recklessly throw yourself to the ground and roll madly down without a thought of any obstacles in the way? Or maybe it was hanging upside down from a tree limb and dropping on your head and laughing furiously with your friends.

What happened? When did we abandon the trust that our bodies would do what we want. I know mine started after an injury from my early twenties started to act up when I turned 32. I recovered from the injury but the doubt and fear of falling and being injured again made me more conscious.

Slowly I stopped doing things I liked. Skiing was one of the first activities to go. I tended not to run as fast with my daughter, found myself holding back from long hikes.

I had knee surgery to repair the damage. And slowly over time I started to realize how much I had given up not because I was injured but because I was afraid. I am not one who likes having fear be my guide so I started to experiment with gentle movement, challenging myself to do a little more each day. I didn’t start any one program I just paid attention to how I was not moving, what I wasn’t doing and started doing it!

The most important thing I discovered was to breathe more freely. I found that if I used my breath to help me, for example exhale when I would stood up, I seemed to have more strength and coordination. Sometime I would walk to the rhythm of my breath. I noticed that when I felt challenged I held my breath. I learned that if I exhaled slowly and completely and relaxed when I inhaled I had more control of my moving.

Over time I challenged myself to start some of the activities I loved again, and found I could do many of them. Physical activity is so important to our health, mental and physical. A resent op-ed in the New York Times by a 2 neuro-scientists stated that exercise improves the “executive functions” of the brain. These include our processing speed, the speed at which we respond to situations speed, working memory. Executive functions affect everything we do.

There are many ways to exercise from gentle to fast and hard. Start where you are, do what you can and gently challenge yourself to do more. Movement is literally what keeps us alive.

Life Is Movement…Challenge Yourself

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:34:41 +0000

Life is movement, even when we are not aware or thinking about moving. Walking, talking, eating, breathing, accomplishing all of our daily activities. Think about this, as you move your muscles are contracting, relaxing, blood cells are pushed through your veins to your heart… then they are “pumped” to the lungs wht they take on life giving oxygen. Muscle contraction as you move improves the flow of vital nutrients into and out of your tissues where cells can use the nutrients to keep you alive, healthy vibrant.

While you sleep, your body is moving, the heart is still pumping blood through your arteries and veins. Your digestive system is processing food and moving it though the digestive tract where nutrients can enter the blood and are carried to all the cells. Hormones and other chemicals are created and released by your cells so you can heal. You change positions as you sleep and dream.

Movement is necessary to promote health and agility. As each joint is moved, pressure on the joint promotes the production and release of fluid that lubricates and nourishes the tissues. Keeping them young and vital. Through movement, bones become stronger and joints become more flexible. Our bones are living tissue and the tissue reacts to movement similar to muscles, getting stronger as movement occurs. Slow, gentle movement can be a very powerful to promote healthy bones, muscles, veins, and other tissues.

Breathing out makes many movements easier. Every movement involves muscles contracting while other muscles relax and lengthen. Healthy muscles work harmoniously with each other. Trying to isolate any specific muscle requires holding other muscles stiff and tense. That makes it harder to move.

Try this: Hold your arm tight against your side. Breathe in and hold your breath. Try to isolate your bicep, the muscle that you see “strong men” curl their arm up to make a bulge. Make a fist and raise your hand toward your shoulder. How does that feel?

Now do the same motion with your upper arm relaxed, while gently breathing out as you move your hand to your shoulder. Notice how this feels. Is there a difference in the two ways of moving your hand toward your shoulder? Do you feel any difference in your bicep? The latter movement is generally easier to do, yet you are doing the same bicep curl. Plus, if you had weights in your hand you would be accomplishing the same movement and muscle “building”. The second way is easier and more relaxed because you are not cutting off the blood flow through the veins. Better blood flow means better nutrition to the cells, less strain on the joints and easier recovery after hard work.

Life is movement. Whether your movement is large or small, slow or fast, gentle, strong enjoy it. Moving is for your good health.

Challenge yourself today to move more freely, spontaneously and joyfully.

Challenging you to be more then you think you are is what delighting in your life is all about.

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:27:35 +0000

Challenging you to be more then you think you are is what delighting in your life is all [...]

Wow We are live

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:10:25 +0000

This site is being built at this very moment and will have a great deal more “stuff” to look at by the weekend.

For now imagine what it would be like to live totally aware of the pleasure and guidance your body is always providing to you, about your surroundings, the people you come in contact with, the way you move, what is truly good for you to eat…. everything. That is what we will explore together.

Here are a few sites to check out

www.HealthyWaterForHealthyLife.com
www.FlexAwarefitness.com

Have an amazing week,

Heidi

heidi@delightinlife.com