"Flexibility"

I have a strong belief in the power of the mind/body connection. The better you maintain your physical health the better your mental health will be, and I suppose vice-versa.

The main elements of physical fitness are aerobic capacity, strength and flexibility. Traditionally I have focused on the aerobic element(heart and lungs) while rigorously avoiding the other two. Most recently I started to do some strength training which paid big dividends, but I still do very little towards improving my flexibility. Why is flexibility important? Well first off it is a critical aspect of a persons technical abilty in most sports. If your muscles and connective tissues are more limber they allow for more efficient movements, and more range of motion, thereby improving energy usage. Secondly, flexibility is important in the prevention of injury. Lack of flexibility leaves you vulnerable to overuse injury, and to sudden injury as a result of the unexpected. In sport this could include a slip or fall and any other sudden change in direction. Without flexibility my body always feels a little pent up and on edge. An accident waiting to happen.

So what's the moral of the story I bet you're asking? Well it's in reference to my opening comment about the mind body connection. I realize that mental/emotional health also has many different aspects and one of them is of course flexibility. With this thought came an awareness that again it is a limitation for me. Like the physical analogy I make I am rarely ready for the next slip. I am frequently anxious and in danger that the next sudden change in direction may leave me "hurt".

I'm gonna try to start on improving my physical flexibility and if indeed there is validity in my hypothesis then it should be easier to work on the other part. Wish me luck!

“Prepare yourself for the world, as the athletes used to do for their exercise; oil your mind and your manners, to give them the necessary suppleness and flexibility; strength alone will not do"---Lord Chesterfield

love
peter