Fascinating, Fascia-nating Fascia

When thinking about health, most people consider their digestion, bones, heart and other muscles. Few consider their fascia, after all most people don't even know what fascia is. Fascia is the organ of structure, the connective substance that holds muscles, bones, organs, and everything in the body together.

Finally fascia is getting its due.

A recent article in Men's Health entitled "Everything You Know About Muscle is Wrong" describes how the inner, interconnected web is as important as muscle to fitness, athletic performance and pain-free living. Fascia creates the bounce and resiliency that we associate with youthful movements. It also can ingrain our ineffective postural habits, which causes strain and stiffness.

So how do you keep your fascia healthy?

In the article, Steve Maxwell, a former Jiu Jitsu world champ and current personal trainer, recommends exercise that uses balance, ROM, being fluid, and elastic recoil. Think of the activities you enjoyed as a child, those that use your whole body and are playful.

Even though we may not be able to jump like we did as children, we can bounce and swing. One of exercises recommended in the article is the exercise of the month, which is highlighted in this blog's previous article.

What do you do to keep your fascia healthy?

Exercise of the Month: Squats

Squats or Chair Pose (utkatasana) in yoga are so good for you, that I recommend doing some every day. Not only do they strengthen and stretch muscles, they are good for your cardiovascular system and also line up your digestive tract.

Here's a variation that helps keep the spring in your step.

CAUTION: Only squat as far as you can without any pain. If you have knee problems, check with your health care provider to see if this is appropriate for you.

1. Stand with your feet hip width apart or a little wider and your toes pointing straight ahead.
2. Sit down and back with your spine straight and low back long, Move slowly as you sit back so you can focus on your alignment.
3. Keep your knees in line with your toes and don't let them go forward of your toes. Concentrate on keeping your hips back more than your knees forward.
4. As soon as you reach your comfortable deepest squat, press evenly into both feet and stand up quickly.

The more frequently you do squats, the deeper you will be able to go, eventually being able to sit back on your heels.

Body Rolling Book Review

A new client told me about Body Rolling, she used it when she wanted to work on her own muscles and connective tissue. I had heard of using a foam roller, but this is different and less painful. The Ultimate Body Rolling Workout by Yamuna Zake and Stephanie Golden shows how to roll on a ball to release your back, hamstrings (heavenly!), neck, chest, abdomen, pretty much anywhere you feel tight. More importantly, the author focuses on creating alignment with the routines so you stand taller and straighter.

It uses a soft ball, like the ones you buy at a toy store not fully inflated (the frog ball above was a fun find that I use regularly), or you can purchase specially made balls from the Body Rolling company.



I had been rolling on a ball to work the tight spots out of my arms -- after all I can't see a structural integrator every week -- and the principle is the same. It's also similar to undulation in that your body is moving slowly and developing internal awareness. The difference is that your body weight creates more the resistance against the ball.

Body Rolling requires more flexibility and range of motion that most undulations and it includes the arms and legs, while undulation focuses more on the spine. I think this is a good next-step if you like undulations and want to go deeper. The author also has another book that is more technical and written for bodyworkers and manual therapists.

Spontaneous Motion

In the opening keynote presentation at the 2010 International Association of Structural Integrator's Symposium, Michael Salveson noted that the body works best when joints are in their neutral position, that is when all forces on the joint are equal. In this video, you can see people demonstrating undulations where they are exploring the movement of their spinal joints and helping create more balanced, neutral positioning and range of motion.

Michael also noted that in the Daoist traditions (Chinese medical arts), the joins is a resevoir of chi (energy). When a joint is weak or injured, it borrows chi (energy) from nearby joints.

The spine has 125 joints. As the central pillar of the body, its range of motion (or lack thereof) determines the ease with which a person can move. Try some of these undulations to create more chi in your spine.

Exercise of the Month: Standing Alignment

Can standing in good alignment really be considered an exercise? Actually, it's an important habit to develop with daily practice. Good posture isn't just to look good, it balances all joints of the body so you can move with ease and comfort. Additionally, being in line helps you make better decisions.

Research done at the University of Aberdeen as reported in the New York Times article, Abstract Thoughts? The Body Takes Them Literally, notes that people who are thinking about the future lean forward and when recalling the past most people lean back. Being in alignment helps a person be present. Letting go of bad posture habits helps us make better sense of what's going on around us.

So spend a few minutes every day standing with focus on alignment of your hips over your ankles, your ribs over your hips, your cranium over your ribs with your shoulders and arms relaxed. Ground firmly to the earth below you, as though you have deep roots and draw a line of energy up your inside arches and legs, through your spine so the crown of your head subtly lifts toward the heavens. Stay in this space, the present moment, for as long as you can hold your attention here. I practice this when I'm waiting anywhere, such as when my computer is starting or when standing in line at the store or bank.