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Patience... 

laren

I stretch everyday, and I’ll be honest - it requires patience! And it can be boring sometimes too. I think these are the biggest reasons why people aren’t stretching more often. There is, of course, the lack of education on how to stretch; however, your primary care physician or physical therapist are two excellent resources for education. It surprises me that physicians do not include the question, “how often are you stretching?” after they ask if we are wearing our seatbelts on a regular basis. No matter what our situation; I feel that stretching increases happiness and it is vital to our health.

 

When was the last time you lengthened a muscle or two? Think about the fact that there are over 600 skeletal muscles in the body. A massage therapist usually studies 206 muscles as well as their origin (where the muscle begins), insertion (where the muscle attaches), and function (what it does: primary movement and secondary movement). My goodness! Stretching is a big deal!

 

I’m convinced that your hurdle is not a lack of motivation, for I’m certain that if you understood how beneficial stretching is to the human body, you would do it more often (stretching helps circulation, it can decrease muscle soreness – and a lack of exercise can cause aches and pains – and stretching can relax the body, therefore decrease our stress in general). I believe that your hurdle is a lack of patience. People want things now, they want to be good at things now; and, stretching requires patience. It’s a long-term commitment.

 

Besides the obvious physical challenge for us with regards to stretching, the only other challenge is the mental challenge of practicing patience. The body appreciates patience, and stretching proves that. The longer you hold a position, the longer your muscles get, and the more freedom in range of motion, the better you feel.

 

Patience is my champion and it is better to have patience on my side at all times, and in all situations. Patience helps me say things with kindness, which always resonates back to my heart, and makes me feel like a superhero. Patience allows me to do the right thing, because I am walking with purpose, and I am patient. Patience helped me get all that I need in my lifetime so far, because I knew that all things would come to me with patience.

 

The patience that is required for improvement can be where success or put-offs happen. It’s the way you look at your goal… sometimes everything is right, and all you have to do is remember that it takes time for things to lengthen. Befriend patience.

 

We learn that when it comes to others, we need to be patient. Our struggles are all different. But, we are not reminded enough that when it comes to the body that we also need to be patient. Our bodies deserve that. Get curious about stretching. 
 



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