The headline is that some stretching and a few exercise classes alone probably aren't enough to change short, tight, or weak muscles.

Here's why. Let's use the example of calf muscles. Because we've all spent years wearing shoes with heels (yes, men, even you!) and sitting "properly" in chairs, everybody's calf muscles are shorter than they should be. Our bodies naturally adapt our habits (what we do most of the time). As Katy Bowman puts it, "You are how you move."

How many exercise sessions do you think it would take to make a permanent change in the length of those tight calf muscles?

I'll wait while you calculate...

That's right. You'd have to stretch, exercise AND do more.  

Real change will come from muscle adaptation to a new habitual body position that requires longer, more flexible calf muscles. We'd need to spend time building new habits by:

The good news is that Restorative Exercise is a multi-purpose discovery process that helps us test our muscles tension. It shows us all the tight and weak places and teaches us how to strengthen, lengthen and relax them. Daily repetition of these movements helps the brain/nervous system become aware of the new body position and notice when we fall back into our old ways.

The more time we spend with the new habit, the sooner we may notice real change. It may take many months, yet change can begin within moments. When we change our habits, and change our environments, we'll find our days filled with more nutritious movement. 

The question is, how are you going to move today?

Check out the second installment of Effective Correctives and learn one simple thing: how to lift your toes.

And if you want to hike more with less pain this Spring, consider the second workshop in our Tune Up series (March 17) and/or join the Walk This Way Fitness Adventure (Mar 3). Details below. 

Catherine