Feeling Matters. Or Why Tension Is Your Enemy.

There’s a reason why you’re not supposed to eat or drink anything before the effects of novocaine wears off.

You could inadvertently eat a tongue {lip or cheek} sandwich as a result of not feeling if your jaw is functioning properly.

If you can’t discern the difference between what it feels like for your body to function optimally versus sub par, you could inadvertently train your body to be tight instead of powerful. You’ll also be forced to rely on an outsider’s opinion about your performance instead of being capable of evaluating it from within.

 

Your “powerful” body might be a dysfunctional body.

There’s more to power than muscle tone. Your muscles’ power can be judged by if they’re able to shorten and lengthen. {optimal function requires both} It can be judged by how smoothly your muscles coordinate the action between your bones {aka your joints}. It can also be judged by their ability to hang out in “stand by” mode, allowing your bones to exude their genuine innate stability instead of your muscles deploying their “strength” for false stability.

Quite often, strength training focuses on tightening muscles while moving – “squeeze your glutes” or “engage your core” – But, here’s the thing, if your muscles are tight, you’re not going to move. 

Try this ~ Tighten your butt. Squeeze your ass until there’s no more squeeze left. Now, take a walk. {Go ahead. I’ll wait.}

How was that walk? Feel like a penguin? It’s mighty hard to walk while squeezing your ass, eh? That’s because when your muscles are tight {tense}, they’re contracted and, therefore, unable to contract again to move your bones.

If you’re unable to feel the difference between a well functioning dynamic ass and a dysfunctional tight ass, you’re liable to follow a trainer’s {or exercise method’s} directions to a T only to wind up with a severe case of constipation or anal retentiveness, neither of which are appealing.

 

Embrace your inner eccentric.

There’s more to feeling powerful than feeling your muscles shorten. The shortening phase of muscle movement is that which is emphasized, but the lengthening, or eccentric phase, is where energy is absorbed into your connective tissues {muscles and ligaments} and recycled into power.

Try this ~ Jump up and down 3 times. {again, I’ll wait} Now, repeat those same 3 jumps, but don’t bend your knees on the way back down. Jump up and down 3 times with straight legs.

How high did you jump with straight legs? Bet my 2 year old niece could jump higher than you.

So, what happened? When you bend your legs upon landing, your muscles absorb the forces coming down through your body, store them and then recycle them back into powering your next jump. Without the ability to lengthen {eccentrically contract} on the landing phase of the jump, your muscles lack the ability to power the next jump.

Flexibility = Power

 

At ease, Warrior.

Have you ever noticed whether you tense your muscles while standing still? How much effort should your muscles exert to keep you upright? If you feel your thighs, butt, abs or jaw clenching to keep your body vertical, odds are they’ll show up to a movement party as well. We established that tense muscles are at odds with movement, so what’s a body to do?

First step, notice the tension. More often than not, simply becoming aware of tense muscles is enough for your brain to send the signal they’re off duty. It’s important not to get uptight over your tightness, though. Just notice any areas of tension while standing and ask yourself how much effort is required for the task.

Also ~ breathe. You’d be amazed how much tension can be released by the simple act of breathing.

 

What do you think about the power of lengthening muscles? Tell me about it in the comments below.

 

If you’d like to know how to conquer muscle tension while still embodying genuine muscle power, subscribe to the Rock What’s Yours newsletter and receive your complimentary copy of :

Embody the Warrior : The Mindful Guide to Conquering Tension.

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Knowing Matters. Or, Why Throwing Your Remote Is Hurting Your Feet.

What if you thought your television set’s remote control functioned by throwing it on the ground?

Let’s say you threw it on the ground, it happened to hit the On/Off button, your television turned on and you were able to watch the latest episode of NCIS. Sweet. Mission accomplished. But now, each time you want to watch T.V., you throw the remote on the floor.

As a result of the shape and weight of the remote, most of the time it happens to hit the On/Off button and you’re satisfied with its function. Once in a while, though, something throws off the way it hits the floor and the T.V. doesn’t turn on. You become frustrated and forcefully throw the remote down onto the floor, trying to will it to work. Over and over. You pound the remote onto the floor, until it eventually breaks. {putting you both out of your misery}

 

How do you think your feet function?

Do you know what bones make up your feet? Do you know how those bones move when you walk or run? Do you know how your muscles and ligaments contribute to the movement of those bones? Do you know how to use your feet so they contribute to optimal ankle, knee and hip function? 

Walking or running, without knowing how your feet function, is tantamount to throwing your remote on the ground. Your feet will work. They’ll get you from point A to point B. Your body’s amazingly resilient and can withstand your own self imposed {albeit unintentional} jackassery for quite a while, but as time passes and if the force {weight} bearing down on your feet increases, eventually you’ll end up with a problem.

If you’re lucky, it will just be a foot problem. It’s more likely that you’ll wind up with a mixed bag of ankle, knee, hip and lower back problems. {They’re all connected, baby!}

 

Who’s the expert on YOUR body?

Once you’re faced with foot problems, you’ll be forced to confer with any number of outside experts from body workers to surgeons. All of whom are valuable when their services are necessary, but here’s the thing…

The more you know about how your body functions, the less necessary their services become.

Your feet weren’t made in China.* You can’t replace them like your remote control. Even if you could, you still wouldn’t know how your feet work, so you’ll be using them the same exact way you did before. What’s the definition of insanity?

G.I. Joe says,

“Knowing is half the battle!”

He’s almost right. {We’ll cut him some slack since he’s an action figure.} Knowing is more like 1/3 of the battle. Educating yourself on HOW your body works is 1 of 3 key components to stop misusing your body {even if innocently} and bypass dysfunction.

 

What can you deduce from what you already know?

You’ve probably heard somewhere that there are 26 bones in your foot. That’s 26 bones to interact and articulate with each other, creating joints.

Q. What usually happens in a joint?

A. Movement!

So, if your foot is full of joints and joints are typically where movement occurs, your foot is going to be a hot bed of movement and….flexibility.

Take a walk around and notice how your experience of your foot changes with this refined perspective. Share in the comments below.

 *Unless, of course, you were conceived in China.

 

If you’d like to know more about how your feet function so you can get the most out of them {while simultaneously improving ankle, knee & hip function}, click HERE to check out The Foot Class starting May 29 in The Studio.

 

 

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