Fascia Needs Variety so Try Something New!
Our fascial systems are interwoven throughout our muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments. This collagenous tissue supports our bony and muscular structures and holds us up. Our current knowledge emphasizes the importance of moving and loading our fascia in a variety of ways to keep it hydrated, mobile, and supple.
Fascia is an adaptive tissue which means the more you load it, the stronger it gets. But adaptation goes both ways – if you are sitting at a desk for long periods every day, your fascia will start to mold to those postural positions in your chair. Even when we exercise, if we always load our fascia in the same ways (e.g. repeating the same exercise routine) we are only creating strength and support for that particular set of movements. When this happens the fascia may lose hydration and become adhesive, making it unhealthy.
This is why we need to keep moving daily, and why we need to change up our exercise routines on a regular basis. To have healthy fascia, we must incorporate exercise variation and rest, giving fascia time to recover and rebuild collagen.
If you normally do yoga, try a strength based class like Barre or Pilates. If you do Pilates, try weight lifting or running. If you’re an avid cyclist, try soccer or tennis. Try it all, but also make sure you find time for rest and restoration in between. Healthy fascia makes for healthy, strong and mobile bodies.
Have questions about how Pilates can help you get stronger? I’d love to hear from you, send me an email to lily.mcevenue@striveto.ca and let’s connect!