10 things to know about your body
If I had a pound for every time I heard : “I feel like my body is falling apart”. I would be gathering a welcome little bonus.
Photo by Ussama Azam on Unsplash
Knowledge empowers. Here, I will share 10 simple thing to know about your body. There is much more to know but this could be the start of a journey of being more considerate of your body.
Your body is with you for life, not just for youth. Our bodies are with us are whole lives. How much do we really know about them? And how much do we really know them?
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
We spend our lives learning; educating ourselves about different topics, being informed, developing our intellectual abilities but what about our bodies that are serving us day in in day out? Even if you are amongst the few people who are very familiar with the functioning of your physical body…what are you doing to care for them? If you have an illness, a disability, have had an injury or are an athlete the chances are you are more familiar with your body. At least in part because you’ve needed to invest time and learning in order to overcome a limitation and to develop your potential. But then what of your inner self and your emotions? How connected and caring are you of those? We are mind, body and spirit after all.
In my mindful moments in Pilates classes, I get people to focus on their breathing, notice their body, notice their mind, notice their emotions and their spirit. I sometimes ask my clients to consider how connected these three are.
Have you ever spent time noticing this? Have you ever thought about it? Is being integrated in mind, body and soul something you’re even aware of as a possibility?!
Perhaps a first step to connecting with your body, is spending a moment each day being thankful for your body and what it has allowed you to do.
I’d like to suggest that for many people, we spend our first 10 years of life pretty oblivious to our bodies having fun and playing. The next 10 or so is spent being self-conscious and possibliy self-loathing of our bodies through puberty and adolescence. The 10 years after our bodies are exploited with fast-paced and indulgent living to varying degrees. The next 10 years we stretch them and I don’t mean with muscle stretches(!) but with the demands of carrying and caring for babies and children, burning the candle at both ends whilst we be all that we can be in work and social circles and for our young families too. And so, we wake up in our 40s and realise our bodies are not as strong or resilient as they used to be, and maybe our emotions too. That we can no longer run a half marathon with very little training without developing injuries. That niggles appear with a little extra demand, that it feels like our bodies are tiring. We realise we have taken our bodies for granted and we wonder where to start to take care of them? We wonder if it’s too late. I so often hear, from young 40 year olds.. “I feel like my body is falling apart”. Do not despair! Your body is not falling apart. But it needs some TLC and some understanding. Here’s a place to start – get to know your body. Clara Pilates, wife of Joseph Pilates said “Know all that you are and all that you can become”.
10 things to know about your body. Some are obvious, but worth stating.
1. Bodies are made to move..and regularly How long are you sat/stood without changing position and moving around? Think every 20 minutes to move as a guide. How often do you move your joints through their full ranges?
2. The brain needs movement of the body to function well and process the information it receives
3. Movements (some in particular - weighted/resistance movement, linear movement) help regulate our emotions
4. Good posture is a line not a dot i.e it is not the same for everyone, and changes with demand: it’s about alignment of your body for efficient muscle function. Muscles that have to work repeatedly from poor alignment often end up being imbalanced and having pain
5. Muscles do not work in isolation, but in partnerships and synergist groups connected through fascia- so to rehab an injury or weakness needs a wider approach than working with one muscle
6. Your inner core is made up of your diaphragm your pelvic floor muscles, your deep spinal muscle – multifidus, and your deep abdominal muscle (transversus abodominus) (not your 6 pack muscle, the rectus abdominus!!) It is the coordinated working of these muscles that stabilises spine and pelvis and allows limb movement to happen efficiently
7. Pain inhibits (prevents/reduces) the work of muscles – so pushing through acute sharp pain can limit the function of that muscle
8. Working a muscle to fatigue ( achey and shakey) means it will get stronger
9. Our bodies function in 3 dimensions, which includes a rotation element, so our training/ rehab needs to reflect this. Eg lunges in different directions, not just straight back and forward
10. Breathing is key to life (obvious) but also to having a well functioning physical body. Stability is created through the coordinated working of the inner core ( of which the diaphragm is part), and impacts on the parasympathetic nervous system effecting our levels of anxiety, how we manage stress and how we experience pain
I mentioned that muscles get stronger when they are worked to fatigue - you heal stronger after the micro damage that happens to the fibres. It's interesting isn’t it how this can happen in the emotional realm as well. Limitations often result in greater understanding and an improved status in some way or other. I can certainly speak from experience of being a more whole person, and more emotionally healed because of challenging times that I have faced that have come near to breaking me,( I also have a stronger body now because of imbalances that resulted in pain). These resulted in me facing into the deep and difficult places and finding support and healing from beyond myself that has made me more whole. I think it’s mirrored spiritually as well, when we accept that we are weak then it makes room to be strengthened from beyond ourselves. I am stronger because of the acceptance of my weakness. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness.
I love trail running. It is my weekend treat, in this busy small-child phase of life, to go for early morning trail runs. I do this as much for my mind and spirit as I do for my body. I love being out doors in the countryside it refreshes and inspires me. I pause sometimes and just enjoy the view, or the wildlife, -barn owls, foxes, red kites and king fishers. Sometimes I walk for a bit, simply to soak it all up or to pray and reflect. I find God talks to me through nature. It gives me perspective, of God’s greatness, and my smallness, and that although I am precious to Him, it’s not all about me. This is so freeing. Pilates which I practice frequently is the time for being mindful, focussing on and connecting with my body. Trail running is my macro time, getting perspective, feeling small, although not insignificant, in an intricate world that is so much bigger than myself. Both of these are necessary for keeping me healthy and grounded.
For a practical step for caring for you body – something that impacts mind, body and spirit, watch this video on how to breath.
https://fb.watch/ryinTBBY1Y/
