Promoting Wellness and Avoiding Injury Through the Lens of Fascia

Helping You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Women, Fascia, and Fitness

I work with clients one-on-one and lead various classes and workshops, all focusing on fascia, and all primarily attended by women. The reason for this trend is intriguing – perhaps women are more open to novel approaches, or they may not find what they need in conventional health settings.

Working with women, especially those in my age group, is incredibly fulfilling. I’ve observed that they are often open-minded and eager to learn new concepts. They engage actively, asking insightful questions and genuinely listening to the answers. Women in this stage of life are at a pivotal point: they are shifting focus from family responsibilities and work obligations to exploring new horizons and opportunities for personal growth.

However, many of them also confront a reality in which their bodies have been overlooked and undergone significant external and internal changes. Realizing the loss of certain abilities that once came effortlessly can be alarming.

Through my interactions with clients, I hear numerous stories echoing these sentiments. I’ve encountered clients who have sustained injuries from attempting fitness programs ill-suited for their current state. For instance, a fitness DVD designed for a younger audience might not be appropriate for a 50-year-old with a history of a neck injury and a predominantly sedentary lifestyle.

I aspire to empower every woman to lead a long, functional life. Our bodies are essential vessels that support us through life’s journey, and it’s crucial that we nurture and maintain them with care and understanding.

My Fascia Inspired Wish

I wish for all women to look at health and fitness through the lens of fascia.

This applies to everyone who is already exercising, those who are not interested in exercising but do what to be healthy and functional well into their later years, and everyone in between. I also have the same wish for all genders. We all need this.

The Lens of Fascia

Your fascia supports and surrounds everything in your body, from your bones and muscles to major organs. It is designed to be stretchy in some areas and thicker in others. No matter its location in your body, it provides that “just-right” support against gravity while also helping us stay upright and still move fluidly.

There are a few things to remember when caring for our fascia: the collagen network, free water, and fibroblasts.

The Collagen Network: This network, or the web of fascia, holds us up against gravity and supports everything inside our bodies. Think of all the body systems and organs inside our bodies. The fascia holds all these vital structures of our body in place yet allows them to glide inside of us. When there is tension in the web of fascia, pressure is placed on these structures, resulting in various problems in other body systems.

The Components of Fascia

Free Water: This liquid clings to the fascia throughout our bodies. Its job is to bring fresh nutrients and carry away the waste. We need to hydrate and move to move the free water throughout the body. Hydrating alone is like pouring water onto an already wet sponge. The new water will splash right off. Frequent and varying types of movement help squeeze out the waste substance so that fresh water can take its place just like squeezing a sponge to wring out the dirty water and pull in the fresh.

Fibroblasts: Fibroblasts have two main jobs in the body. They can remove fascia the body no longer needs or deposit collagen to create or thicken already existing fascia. Pressure from gravity or tension is what tells the fibroblasts what to do. Increased pressure will alert the fibroblasts to lay down more collagen to support that area of the body. When our fascia becomes denser to support poor postures, it puts pressure on our other body systems, like our nerves, causing pain. Correcting poor posture and releasing fascia will relieve this pressure and tell the fibroblasts they can remove the excess tissue.

Because fascia is the environment of the internal landscape of our body, when we keep that environment healthy, all our other body systems stand a better chance of functioning well. So, using fascia as our lens to view health and function can change our entire perspective on movement and exercise. I want everyone to think of building a solid foundation before doing any other exercise, even walking.

Why Create a Solid Fascia Foundation

Creating a solid foundation before any fitness program is key to your success; however, not many fitness programs start by looking at the existing foundation unless you are an elite athlete. I don’t know any professional athletes, but I do know a couple of pretty serious amateur athletes. I am quite sure they would agree with me.

Creating a solid foundation first will:

• Help you avoid injuries.
• Accelerate your progress.
• Help you transfer your gains into the real world.
• Help you feel better and maybe even look better. Better posture alone does this!
• Give you more confidence to try more challenging activities in your fitness and daily life!

Breaking Down Beliefs and Building Them Back Up

I find there are so many beliefs about exercise that are no longer true (or never were). Now, with all the research we have about the fascia, so much new information needs to be integrated into our contemporary understanding of the human body.

Additionally, many exercise styles were not developed with women in mind and were designed for bodies much younger than the average people I work with regularly.

I want to dispel the old beliefs for a new approach. An approach that will support women in their 40s and up whether they want to be athletes, get a little more fit, or just want to stop hurting.

Old Beliefs that Need to Go

As we reach our middle ages, many of our beliefs become unconscious habits. We must bring many of these habits back into our consciousness so we can take a good look at them and adjust them based on our new needs and understanding of our bodies.

• We cannot just jump into an exercise program when we are hurting. Over 70% of women in their middle ages report pain. Working out on top of pain is not a good idea. Addressing pain first is a good idea.
• Many forms of exercise just jump right in. I want women to think about not just warming up but easing into every movement. We cannot go from 0 to 100. We can get to 100, but slowly.
• We don’t need intensity. We need consistency.
• We need safety first and always. If you’re not checking and appropriately challenging your balance, you should.
• Most exercise focuses on muscles. They are important but muscles are surrounded by fascia. We must understand the movements fascia needs for health. Too many of our exercise choices are linear. That is not how life works. If we want our exercise to translate to life, we need the following movements that our fascia loves:
  • Compression
  • Expansion
  • Rotation
  • Variety
  • Bounce
  • Movement of all joints through their full range of motion

• We need to learn the concept of the “just right challenge.” Our just-right changes daily depending on how we sleep, our hormones, our stress levels, how well we’ve eaten over the last few days, and a host of other contributing factors. It is OK to consider all this when we decide how or if we will exercise any given day.

What is Involved in Creating a Solid Foundation of Fascia?

The components of a good foundation are the following:

• Breathing well. Many people do not know that using the diaphragm for breathing supports balance and core engagement. The diaphragm is also connected via the fascia to several other organs including the heart and the kidneys providing them with a supporting massage with every breath. The movement of the diaphragm also supports lymph movement which is critical for health.
• Knowing what the core actually is and using it correctly. If I see one more person tucking their pelvis to engage their core, I may lose it. I don’t want to see people get hurt!
• Practicing good posture always, so much so that you naturally bring it to your exercise routine. Exercising in poor posture only reinforces poor posture. Most people do not know what good posture really looks like.
• You can improve your joint health by moving them through the range of motion they are designed to move through regularly. If you cannot do this, do not lift weights.
• Incorporate lifestyle practices that help to reduce the amount of inflammation in your body. This goes a long way toward creating a healthy foundation of fascia. You do NOT have to be perfect. Minor improvements can make a huge difference.
  • Managing stress
  • Improved hydration
  • Improved nutrition
  • Improved sleep
  • Fewer harmful substances

Is this effort too much to ask?

I care very much about my future but also do not enjoy exercise. I would much rather sit here as I am now putting all my thoughts down on my computer and sharing them with you. But I get up and do everything I know will help keep me moving so that I can do other things I love now and well into my future, like:

• Playing with my grandkids.
• Hiking in beautiful places.
• Walking through my neighborhood after it snows.
• Fitting into the same clothes so I don’t have to go shopping.
• Learning new dance styles.
• Traveling.

I have friends who love to exercise. I can’t quite wrap my head around it. Daniel Lieberman, the author of the book Exercised, supports me. Humans are wired to conserve energy. I am grateful for having learned what I know about fascia so I can be highly efficient with the time I put in for my health. I know what my fascia needs and provide it so it will support my ability to move better and the health of my internal landscape. So, no. For me, this is not too much to ask. It is the lifestyle I have created for myself, and it seems to work!

Created for You

I created a quick, easy and inexpensive class to teach you about creating a healthy foundation of fascia. This class will help you sort through your foundation and the associated habits and beliefs you have developed over the years. The course will also inform you about your joint health and the movements you can start with to begin building. If your issues go deeper, you’ll be led to additional resources to help you.

The first 50 readers who take the course can use this coupon code: FIRST50

You always have the option to work with us directly as well.

I wish you all the best in 2024!

Amy

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