Remember when forty looked like death warmed over? What we can’t comprehend as children is the wisdom that comes from a life well-lived. Midlife bestows us with a wealth of maturity. We learn to tolerate and value the opinions of others. We take things less personally and forgive more easily. Through trial and error, we come to understand what matters most. It would be a tragedy for the knowledge gleaned from all those hard learned lessons to be wasted because there wasn’t enough energy to put it into practice
Let’s not let that happen. The world needs your wisdom!
Not that long ago, the negative effects of aging were considered inevitable. Turns out, we have tremendous say in our quality of life. We can choose to live full of vitality, strength and flexibility; or we can passively allow our bodies to decline from lack of use. The choice is ours. Whether you’re a fitness lover, a casual walker, or have never exercised a day in your life, you can stop the clock, turn back time and increase energy.
Fuel to Burn
Health and vitality are reflected in every single tissue of your body. If your cells are well nourished, your body’s natural response will be energetic. A healthy body is able to handle stress while keeping your blood pressure and sugar levels balanced. Best of all, you’ll stay physically youthful and vibrant. If your cells are not well fed and stimulated, they begin to atrophy and die. As a result, you feel sluggish, depressed and in pain.
The body is loaded with hundreds of cellular variations. All of these cells work in unison to keep your system alive, healthy and functioning. Every cell requires a source of energy to power its life. This energy “power plant” is called mitochondria. Most cells have only a few mitochondria, but muscle cells have tens of thousands of them! In fact, muscles house 95% of the body’s mitochondria.
Mitochondria keeps us young – as long as we protect and nurture them. They take in nutrients and distribute energy. Almost every bodily function relies on this energy. Movement turns mitochondria “on.” Whereas a sedentary lifestyle turns them off. When we move our bodies, we increase the quantity of mitochondria. This, in turn, gives us more energy while burning more calories.
Get Moving!
The beauty of a rebalancing exercise routine like Essentrics™ is that we never move in pain. Discomfort? Yes. Pain? Never. Working in a relaxed “rag doll” state is how we heal old injuries, awaken atrophied muscles and increase flexibility. Moving tight muscles quickly is how we tear tissues.
At the first sign of pain, back off and work within your comfort zone. This turns off the signals to contract the muscles. With the protective function turned off, you can stretch further – lengthening and strengthening your muscles, improving your posture and toning your body. The irony of exercising slowly and mindfully, is that you’ll gain muscle (and energy) more quickly!
Anyone at any age can develop strong muscles. Not the showing, body builder muscles but strong, lean, fuel burning muscles that allow you to move with ease and grace. Without strong muscles, our supply of mitochondria dwindles. Our bodies want to move. Our natural state is to be loaded with strong, energy-producing, fat-burning muscles.
So, let’s get moving!
