How good is yours?

Today’s topic is one we are all familiar with, but the majority of us neglect it. Most people who resistance train have very little of it, athletes should have a lot of it but usually don’t, and generally woman have more than men. Want to know what I’m talking about? I’ll give you a hint. It’s only one word.

Here it is: FLEXIBILITY

Yes, flexibility. One of the most important things we should think about when it comes to health and wellness. Flexibility is even important for those who don’t exercise; actually, it is MORE important for those who choose not to exercise. I’ll touch on the importance of flexibility for sedentary people a little later in this post. For now, let’s talk about the benefits of flexibility and why all of us should be stretching at least once a day no matter what.

As I have been trying to get ready for the 5k on Thanksgiving morning my lack of flexibility is proving to be a nuisance. Most of us who workout and exercise on a consistent basis know we should stretch but we don’t. I am paying the price for that now. Increasing our flexibility makes simple things like putting on socks and shoes easier. Ever bent over to pick something up and felt tightness in your lower back, hamstrings, or calves? Becoming more flexible can ease and sometimes eliminate that tightness. For athletes, people who play sports, and those of us who do resistance training flexibility helps us too. Increasing our flexibility helps prevent injury as well as improve performance.

Keep in mind muscles are related to one another. One tight muscle or muscle group can impact another muscle or muscle group. One of the most common ailments in American adults is lower back pain. Unless there has been trauma to that area or some other type of low back injury, a lot of our lower back pain can be reduced or eliminated just by increasing our flexibility, range of motion, and posture. Consider this the domino effect of muscle elasticity. Here is an example. If you have a tight lower back, you probably have tight glutes (butt muscles). If you have tight glutes, you probably have tight hamstrings. If you have tight hamstrings, you probably have tight calves. Get the idea?

Ladies, you are naturally more flexible than us men. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to work to maintain and even improve your flexibility. Gentleman, do not be afraid to get caught stretching because you think you will look silly or less “manly”. Most gyms and workout facilities offer some type of yoga or Pilate's class. I encourage both men and woman to take those classes, even if it’s only once a week. I have already begun to practice what I preach. I took a yoga class last night and plan to continue to take that class until I can bend over at the hips and place my palms flat on the floor. I am nowhere close to being able to do right now.

For those of us who know sedentary people please encourage to start stretching once a day as well. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, that’s better than nothing. It is especially important for those who feel stiff first thing in the mornings or after they have been sitting down for an extended period of time. I will admit it is not easy at first but the improvement will come as long as we remain consistent in our efforts to be more flexible.

It's note worthy to mention you should do a quick warm-up before you do your stretching. Your quick warm-up could include a 10 minute walk, some jumping jacks, or walking up and down a set of stairs for at least 5 minutes. Warming up will help reduce the chance of injury and increase the blood flow to your muscles.

Flexibility also helps our body stay balanced. My colleague has an awesome post about balance. Check out her post on BALANCE.

Have a healthy day!

RJ
stepbystepfit@gmail.com

September Challenge Complete!!

WOW!! The challenge is over! I know we are a few days into October, but I wanted to take a couple days to get my thoughts together before I posted something. Bear with me, this post is a little long.

I think it’s interesting how we discover things about ourselves when we aren’t necessarily looking for them. At the beginning of the challenge I mentioned I would be using the cross-trainer to complete the 100 miles.  For those of you who don’t know why I chose the cross-trainer feel free to read my posts from the beginning of September. When I started the challenge I had no intention of ever setting foot on a treadmill or running outside. For me, both those options were. . .well, not an option. Somewhere around mid September I decided to take a chance. I got on the treadmill and ran a mile. When I finished that mile I thought, “HOLY SMOKES!”. I had just discovered something new about myself. For several years I hadn’t run any distance, I blocked myself mentally and physically from doing it. But now. . . I CAN RUN! I’m pretty excited about that. Mental block eliminated.

Challenges like this one, in my opinion, are often more mental than physical. We are often considerably more physically capable than we give ourselves credit for. When you’re working out at the gym or exercising at home how often do you tell yourself you can’t do one more rep? You want to do ten reps but you stop at 8 reps. Did you stop because your muscle was truly exhausted, unable to do one more rep? Or did you stop because you let your mind stop you? I realize that’s easier said than done, but here’s a quick example of what I mean. I have a female client who at our first session did 15 regular pushups. She seemed to be able to do them so easily, so I asked her why she didn’t do more. She said she can only do 15, even when she tries as hard as she can she can only do 15. Long story short, our next session I did pushups with her and she did 20 with relative ease and after a few seconds rest in the up position she squeezed out one more for a total of 21. There was only 2 days between our sessions. So what changed? Did she get 6 pushups stronger in 2 days? Not at all. What she did do was eliminate her mental block. All we have to do is recognize what the block is, then decided to push through it. That may sound like an over simplification but essentially that’s what getting over a mental block boils down to.

Here are the stats from the month:

5006 Pushups

5006 Situps

100 miles

Last month’s challenge left me feeling good physically as well as mentally. I feel a sense of accomplishment. Like my friend Matt, the creator of the September Challenge, I will take on periodic fitness challenges.  I encourage you to do the same.  In fact, I have already decided what my next challenge is. I will run in a 5k on Thanksgiving day. I would like to have a Step-By-Step Fitness 5k Team. There will be information to come about the 5k.

Thanks for taking the September Challenge journey with me. I encourage you to join my blog followers list. I will be posting periodically about health and fitness.

Have a Great Day!

Your Friend,

RJ