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Fitness for Life with The Alexander Technique
Roy Palmer
To achieve a high level of fitness for life sounds like hard
work - and not just from a the physical point of view. Many
fail to maintain fitness because, and let's be honest, exercise
routines can be boring! Where is the fun in doing the same
exercises week in week out. Yes there are many who do stick
to their regimes, but why devote so much time to something
that doesn't really engage you? Do you remember how much fun
a trip to the park was with your friends, a bat and a ball?
How much exercise did you get in one afternoon playing a few
games?
You may have heard of The Alexander Technique as a method
to improve your health by correcting your posture, but it
has far more to offer. Learning this highly practical technique
can add a new dimension to training giving you a totally new
attitude to fitness and physical activity and increasing your
chances of staying with a fitness program.
Whether interested in developing total fitness or just looking
for relief from the all too common aches and pains, a subtle
change in attitude and approach will help you get more from
your body. Learning The Alexander Technique helps you develop
a better understanding of your body, how it works, how it
moves and how to make movement easier so you can do more with
less effort. Achieving a high level of fitness for life is
within your reach when you know how to use your body correctly.
It is ironic that people frequently injure themselves doing
activities they believe should be keeping them fit and healthy!
Why does this happen? It is a sad fact that many adults have
lost the art of natural movement. We unknowingly develop poor
habits that puts excessive stress on joints and muscles. The
more you move poorly the better you will get at doing it in
this way. End result - injury! I was alarmed when I started
learning The Alexander Technique aged twenty-six at just how
badly I moved, especially when I considered myself fit and
well-informed about my body following years of martial arts,
swimming and running!
The term 'fitness' generally relates to how far or fast you
can run or how well you can perform physical tasks. Yet we
should recognise that fitness is important for maintaining
health and functionality. Yet fitness is about more than physical
abilities - its about being able to do what you want, when
you want and to do it well. The right mental attitude and
approach are essential for performing at your peak. Of course,
you still need to have the body that can meet your demands
so you must work on both your physical and mental skills.
The good news is that they can be worked on together.
How well do you know your body? If you are looking to maintain
fitness for life you are going to be asking a lot from your
body, but just how good is your body knowledge? Many are surprised
at how their knowledge and understanding of their body differs
from your true physical structure when taking Alexander lessons.
How you move is based on your concept of how it works. If
there are discrepancies between concept and reality this will
effect your movement. Again if your objective is to maintain
fitness this will have implications.
That's the bad news, now for the good. Learning The Alexander
Technique will not only help you identify where you may be
making movement harder, its practical techniques will give
you the means to eradicate them altogether. Movement becomes
a whole lot easier when you take the habitual brake off!
It also helps to develop your ability to focus which can take
you into The Zone a place where athletes achieve peak performance
with little perceived effort. This is where learning The Alexander
Technique will deliver real lasting benefits to help you achieve
fitness for life. With a new understanding of your body you
can approach physical activity and exercise better informed
about what works for you. Injury need not be something you
need to suffer in order to maintain fitness.
Sports training and exercise should not be viewed as purely
a way to physical fitness. With the right approach promoted
by The Alexander Technique your training becomes a way to
self-improvement beyond physical ability. Fitness now means
more than just putting on your tracksuit and going for a run
- it can be another path to self-fulfillment and development.
Exercise need never be boring or routine again!
Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique
and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last
10 years. In 2001 he published a book called 'The Performance
Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training
and exercise' and is currently working on a new project about
The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training
can be found at http://www.fitness-programs-for-life.com
Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?expert=Roy_Palmer
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