According to the American Council on Exercise, your friend who can run a marathon but can’t touch her toes is not considered fit. There are three components to fitness: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility. As our modern, hectic lives require us to spend more time sitting, flexibility work is even more important but often neglected. Sitting for sustained periods creates muscle imbalances in the body. The position shortens your hip flexors and quadriceps, causes your spine to flex and shoulders to roll forward and shortens your pectoral muscles. All of this can result in poor posture, musculoskeletal pain, muscle adhesions, and increased risk of injuries.
While our Barre Align classes bring attention to correct posture, strengthen the underused muscles and stretch the overused ones, there are limitations to what stretching can do to improve flexibility.
Muscle adhesions or “knots” develop from overuse, tissue trauma, stress, and a variety of other causes. These adhesions reduce the elasticity of muscles, reduce joint range of motion and can cause pain for some people. Think of these adhesions as a knot in a rubber band. When you stretch the rubber band, the knot tightens but does not go away. That is where Myofascial Release (MR) can help.
MR uses tools to find your adhesions and eliminate them through rolling, sustained pressure and other release techniques. The result is restored muscle function, improved joint mobility, decreased musculoskeletal pain, reduced muscle imbalances, and less stress.
At Alkalign we are currently developing a class format called ‘Recharge’ that incorporates therapeutic stretching and Myofascial Release to complement the strengthening and cardiovascular exercise you are getting and offset the affects of daily wear and tear on our bodies. The full 60-min Recharge class will start in August. In the meantime, we are offering weekly workshops on Myofascial Release with local Myofascial Release Therapist Wendy Figone beginning 7.12.15 at our Menlo Park studio from 2-3:30 pm. Space is limited to sign up here.
You can also get a preview of our Recharge class after select Cardio Align and Barre Express classes taught by Master Instructors Michelle, Lizzie, Erin and Vanessa. If you’d like to learn more about Recharge, please email us: info@alkalign2020.wpengine.com
We look forward to rolling with you!
