Your Life, Your Choice. Get Strong or Get Weak.

June 12, 2016 –

We are all born in a fetal position (all curled up) as we begin our gift of life. The first movement pattern is to extend the body, (reach the arms and legs out and stretch the spine) and if you don’t the doctor, midwife, policeman, taxi cab driver, or whoever saw you first would do it for you. As they held you on your back and your spine straightened out, you were extended, thus life took on an entirely new design. So my point is this; we are born in a fetal position into a life that is about extending our joints and extending our life and living life to its fullest before our bodies begin forming back into a fetal position.

If you picture in your mind what a child stands like and then what a senior citizen stands like, it becomes obvious that an older persons frame is on its way back into fetal position. This is not anyone’s fault, it is the conditioned weakness of muscles. Not just that, but often muscles get weak as the ones on the opposite side (antagonistic) of those joints are tight. This imbalance or dysfunction pulls the bones or levers however they want to without your consent. Without training your extension muscles to do their job in life your flexion muscles are doing their job (creating a ball or fetal position) to protect you. Don’t be a ball.

Most of us want to be strong (I hope). Not too many of us want to be professional bodybuilders or look like JJ Watt. A body like that took years of great effort, lots of food, and genetics. If you look at bodies like JJ, they stand upright with amazing posture and strength. If you are losing your posture, then you are starting to lose your strength, your height, your mobility, and honestly your esteem. If this is you, don’t be in denial. FIX IT! Posture can be fixed, strength can be rebuilt, and mobility can be regained. Get busy getting strong or I promise you that you are going to get weak. Time is the critical monster, use what time you have to be strong, flexible and healthy.

Several years ago, my wife and I were traveling and happened to be coming through the Miami airport. Exhausted and ready to be home, we were dragging our luggage from gate to gate. Loading our tired bodies onto the tram to get to our next gate destination we both noticed an older couple across from us. Older like 65 or 70, and they had their luggage in their hands. As the doors opened up and the two of us got on the escalator to go upstairs, we looked over to see the older couple walking up the steps with bags in hand (I think they made it upstairs before we did). Later that day, we both mentioned that paradigm shift and we have made every effort to be stronger and more flexiblte since then. We are getting stronger not weaker, are you? If not, like a recent Bob Report said, Just Start!

In good health,
Bob

“One of the first things you do when you wake up is stretch. Stretching not only unfolds you from your sleeping position, it circulates blood, oxygen, and energy throughout your entire body. Stretch – it feels great! – Iyanla Vanzant