The Ties That Bind
Our muscles are encased in a web of connective tissue that weaves in and around our body. This webbing is called fascia. It’s composed of thin, stretchy watery layers. Like a silk body stocking, it holds us together. To maintain its spring, we need to keep it hydrated and the only way to do it is through slow, gentle movement.
While all movement increases fibroblast activity, it’s the large, sweeping movements of Essentrics™ that increases it the most. During fibroblast, hyaluronic acid (HA) is squirted into the tissue. This in turn, facilitates repair. Hyaluronic acid is a fluid binder, attracting water to the cells.
Water is essential to the health of our connective tissue. Fascia must stay hydrated to do its job. When we twist and stretch the tissue, we encourage the fluid to release. When we neglect to move our bodies, these layers of tissue congeal result in stiffness and pain. Making us feel old and rigid.
Connective Tissue
We have two kinds of connective tissue, superficial and deep. Among these two types are a variety of size, shape, density and purpose. It can be thick and tight, like our ligaments and tendons, or it can be microscopically thin and loose, like the sheets of fascia that encase our muscles and suspend our organs.
Essentrics uses a wide variety of techniques to lengthen, strengthen and rebalance the body. Connective tissues respond particularly well to the slow, gentle “tai chi” movements that form the foundation of the program. Some of the best exercises for connective tissue are the deceptively simple movements of Essentrics.
Move It or Lose It
Connective tissue is so important it is now categorized as the third component of the musculoskeletal system. Stiff, atrophied fascia is the primary source of joint pain and immobility. When it hardens, we harden. Once you know the science, you’re armed with powerful medicine.
As we age, our bodies decrease in flexibility by 50%. We must move our bodies every day to maintain elasticity and range of motion. The good news is it doesn’t take long. You can access all the muscles and joints in the body in about 20 minutes.
Gentle, full-body stretching is the most efficient way to heal, repair and rejuvenate our connective tissue.
Our amazing bodies respond forgivingly fast once we start moving. As soon as you start twisting and turning, wiggling and rotating you likely will never feel stiff again. And you can create this transformational change in less than 30 minutes a day with non-aggressive, pain-free gentle movement.
