If You Only Had 10 Minutes a Day To Feel Better, What Would You Do?
Let’s get one things straight: the body ADAPTS to the loads applied.
Stolen from http://acommondilemma.wordpress.com
Do something—->Signal is Sent out—-> Body Receives Signal and Reacts (Adapts)
Sh@ just doesn’t “happen”…
Your tight spots, lack of range, sore spots etc have occurred, in large part, as a response to the signals YOU’VE sent out.
True, genetics play a role, some people are naturally tighter. looser, have deep vs shallow hips sockets and all that.
True, you could have had a traumatic/ culminating event….ie a car crash or fall etc, that caused change immediately.
Keep in mind, these too are signals the body is sending out, you just don’t have a lot of control over them.
But for the most part that constant nagging knee pain you have isn’t from that time you squatted in gym class 15 years ago.
It’s from the last 30 years of using the knees to create lower body motion resulting in inappropriate loading patterns on the joint, EVERY TIME YOU TAKE A STEP. <—-that’s a lotta times, especially in 30 years….
It could be a 405lbs deadlift or simply bending over to tie your shoes.
If the tissue is at or near tolerance you only need to go over tolerance, by how much doesn’t matter.
Pic from http://josefbrandenburg.com
Nooooo, it wasn’t 8-12 hours a day in this position for the last 10 years that hurt your back. It was those couple of lunges. Logic abounds….
What you need to do, besides having awesome exercise technique and constantly striving for good posture is…
DAILY Preventative Maintenance
Set aside 10-20 minutes a day (yes, you have this time) to work out some of your kinks, tight/ sore muscles, pain areas etc.
Most of these things can be done when you’re on the phone/ watching TV/ on the computer.
The most important aspect of this is to listen to your body and figure out where your time is most valuable. This may change day-to-day, week to week….
Tight ankles today:
- The Stick on the Calf’s and Shin (3 minutes)
- Stretch the Calves (2 minutes)
- Ankle Alphabet (3 minutes)
- Ankle Mobilizations (2 minutes)
10 minutes and done.
Stiff Neck/ Shoulders:
- Thoracic Extensions on a Foam Roller (2 minutes)
- Lacrosse Ball on Chest (2 minutes)
- Lacrosse Ball on Upper/ Mid Back (2 minutes)
- Chest Stretch (2 minutes)
- Upper Trap Stretch (2 minutes)
10 minutes and donesky.
Knee Pain:
- Foam Roll the Glutes, IT Band/ Quads (5 minutes)
- Hip Flexor Stretch ( 2 minutes)
- Glute Stretch (2 minutes)
- TKE (1 minute)
10 minutes and you’re better (only temporarily, but better) <—-but what happens if you do this chronically (everyday) and reinforce this new movement throughout the day? Might it change for the better?
Me thinks soooo.
Point is: None of this is rocket science.
If you’re unwilling to take 10 minutes undo all the jacked-up stuff you do to your body for 164 hours a week (I’m giving you 4 hours for “gym time” and assuming you’re doing things to help the situation)…
Yes, I know this is a BIG ASSumption.
You’re basically saying,
“Hi, I’m lazy and make excuses for myself and would rather live with pain and/ or discomfort than take 7- 14 hundredths, (yes, hundredths) of my day to improve my training, recovery and just overall move and feel better.”
Which is fine, just so we’re all on the same page.
What I do for myself changes daily but some of the staples are:
- Lacrosse Ball on the Feet
- Lacrosse Ball on the Upper Back
- Lacrosse Ball on the Chest
- Hip Flexor Stretch
- Glute Stretch
- Upper Neck Stretch
- Dig out the Forearms with my Hands.
When I do these, I feel awesome, when I don’t….ummm, not so much..
Sometimes feeling better really is that simple.
About Roy:
[…] Loosen the tissues with a foam roller and/ or tennis/ lacrosse ball. […]