Our “civilized” world dramatically removes us from our natural environment. This greatly affects our health and longevity in a number of ways. A significant example of this is probably where you are right now – in a C.H.A.I.R. It does not matter if it is a desk chair, a lounge chair, a couch, or a car, train, bus seat. Google images for chairs and you can see how much of a mine field exists out there …

In general, too much sitting reduces mobility – and just as in nature, our mobility is directly tied to our longevity. But the reality is our lives, homes, travel, jobs utilize chairs for most of our day. So how do we manage this public enemy?

Consider … Do you sit “on” the chair or do you sit “in” the chair?

ON the chair suggests some level of postural alignment to efficiently manage gravity acting down on you. If you sit on the front of the chair with your shoulders over your hips/sitz bones you can efficiently use your skeleton. A good focus for this is to allow the back of your neck to be long as if there is a small balloon pulling on the back crown of your head. See a related blog post here: Going Running or Being Run?.

IN the chair suggests less postural alignment with collapsed spine, slumped posture and muscular effort in the back, hips and pelvis.

A great tool is an exercise ball to body sense an aligned seated posture and to develop core strength. Core strength is a big key to efficient posture.

Also Consider … How Often? Moving toward a Balance or an Imbalance?

• Sit a lot for work or commute? Be more active otherwise; and takes mobility breaks as often as possible.
• Drive? Park a little farther away and walk a few extra steps.
• TV on? Get down on the floor and move around, twist, stretch or do some light exercises.

Overall our health is greatly affected by our mobility which is greatly affected by our posture. Posture is a balance between alignment and relaxation. When your body is aligned shoulders over hips against gravity, then the strongest material in your body – your structure/skeleton – is maintaining your position with support from your muscles. If your body is not aligned, your muscles work harder to deal with the big force of gravity.

Alignment, Relaxation and Balance – a few key concepts to consider all day long. Either way, your day is going to affect your walk/run … and vice versa. You have a huge opportunity to practice your running/walking all day long …

What posture tricks to you use to help you stay focused, aligned, relaxed and balanced as much as possible?

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

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Related posts:

1. The Key to Posture Like to run or walk but feeling efficient or discomfort,...
2. Lower Ab Exercise Variation One of the common challenges to efficient and injury-free running...
3. ChiRunning Common Challenges, Core When I first started applying the ChiRunning® principles back in...

One of the common challenges to efficient and injury-free running in a strong, aligned core. The benefits of this were discussed here: ChiRunning Common Challenges Core. The key to this is engaged lower abdominals to stabilize (and level if necessary) the pelvis which also stabilizes an aligned posture. Here is an online presentation on this Key to Posture. In that presentation an important Lower Abdominal Exercise is described. The purpose of that exercise is to body sense isolating the lower abdominals from the lower back, glutes and upper abdominals. Then you can use this and other exercises (including running and walking) to focus on strengthening the isolated lower abdominals. Below is a variation of this exercise that you can add to your core strength toolbox.

1. Lie on your back and bring your feet up close to your torso; rest your feet on your toes as shown.

Press your Lower Back flat to the ground using only the Lower Ab to move your pubic bone towards your head as shown. Your can use your hands (thumb in the belly button and four fingers to Lower Ab) to guide the front of the pelvis up towards your chin.

2. Sense effort in the Lower Ab only to hold the Lower Back flat on the ground. At first this will be enough to sense isolated effort in the Lower Ab.

3. Next slowly lift your toes off the ground as shown. Hold this position and notice additional effort. Only move to this step if you can keep the effort isolated to the Lower Ab. Hold as long as you can, say 30-60+ seconds, keeping your lower back flat to the ground.

4. As you are ready over repetitions, days, weeks, months … you can lift your toes/lower legs higher and higher to add more stress to develop more strength. Again, the key is to keep the effort isolated to the Lower Ab while holding your lower back flat to the ground.

Engaging just the lower ab is one of the harder ChiRunning focuses to “get”. But it is also one of the most important concepts to allow you to develop increasing levels of efficiency, distance and speed. The exercise is stationary to initially isolate; so that the body sense is there to help develop the same ability while in motion.

As I said at the end of the referenced blog post (ChiRunning Common Challenges Core) … consider avoiding what I did early on. Do not neglect the core …

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Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach – and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor.  For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

Related posts:

1. ChiRunning Common Challenges, Core When I first started applying the ChiRunning® principles back in...
2. Elements of ChiRunning Efficiency Recently … I was in an exchange online with another...
3. ChiRunning Common Challenges, Lean One of the key ChiRunning® principles is to cooperate with...

Or more specifically, is it possible to be be fit but not healthy? This question relates back to “Why do I run?” When I started ChiRunning many years ago my running goal was efficiency while getting beyond the 2+ years of frustration due to nagging injuries. But my goal, the real goal, was health.

Fitness can certainly help you be healthy. But I am learning more and more that you can be fit and not be healthy. You can run a very fast 5K and not really be healthy. This is one of the reasons I don’t focus on short races or speed; they are not in the critical path of my health goals. Someday I will likely come back to them, but I have a feeling my performance will be mainly the result of my health more than the training.

But you can also run a 50 mile ultra marathon and not be healthy. I have sensed this myself; very efficient running, check. But not very efficient keeping my physiology balanced for fuel and electrolytes. And whenever there is an imbalance a lot of stress is created.

• High fitness stress, ie. “fight or flight” response
• Nutritional stress

What is probably even harder on the body is the stop (brake) and go (gas) that can also occur when you combine these two stresses (See blog post Living On The Brake). This is the “run to eat” approach to health, umm I mean fitness. Meaning run with high stress and then eat “hard” for high stress. On both the run and post run, the body is dealing with inefficient fueling for the task at hand. On the run, the task is performance at some level. After the run, the task is recovery. The type of fuel or non-fuel ingested drastically affects both.

I am reading The Big Book of Endurance Training by Phil Maffetone. I can relate to many of his concepts through my own challenges, and in some cases had a “duh” or “aha” moment when I realized this was the information I needed to get to my next level. I have already noticed a big change in how my “health” program feels after making just a few adjustments.

A few key concepts I am working on:

• Low glycemic nutrition to stabilize blood sugar.
• Low heart rate training paces to increase my aerobic base, teach my body to burn fat and to limit the high stress that occurs during a “fight or flight” response. As the aerobic base is developed, the training pace increases. In doing this I have also noticed that my technique focus has been enhanced by slowing it down and thinking clearer.
• A fitness program = work + rest. Days off, balance across long run/short run/gym workouts.
• A health program includes low stress nutrition + low stress fitness + rest (sleep).
• “Less is more”, pg 155. First introduction to this same point many years ago was page 4 of the ChiRunning book.

The concepts may work a bit in isolation, but they are much more powerful together as in a holistic fuel-move-balance-rest approach. I have some long running events coming up this fall as further tests on my critical path to health. As above, my performance in these type of events has been mainly a function of physiology; meaning access to fuel sources, nutrition, “fight or flight”, etc. Based on just a few weeks of training considering the above key concepts, I can see where it may be very possible to have some very different experiences this fall. And these are experiences that can confirm the target, increasing health.

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Related posts:

1. Running, Walking and Living on the Brake? A primary ChiRunning and ChiWalking concept is to move forward...
2. ChiRunning Common Challenges, Core When I first started applying the ChiRunning® principles back in...
3. Running as a Metaphor for Life Many of us have heard the concept of “running is...

As a kid I was often sticking my nose into the latest project around the house, which was anything from making dinner to tuning up the car to building a deck. Lucky for me my parents welcomed my involvement and I learned a great deal – not only about how-to specifically, but also about the mindset needed to accomplish anything in life.

Two specific phrases have stuck with me, probably without my parents having any idea how much they have served me in life.

Phrase 1: I remember once my father and I working on the car – well he was working and I was learning. He asked me to get a tool for him and off I went. I came back with something similar and he said that was not it. I suggested it would work anyway and he said in a stern voice “that is not the right tool for the job … with the right tool you can do anything you want.” And off I went for the right tool frustrated at being the go-pher that I was. But the lesson was etched in me to look for and use the appropriate tool for each of my life’s challenges.

Phrase 2: I remember another case where my father and I were building something with wood. He handed me the saw and let me have a go at the next cut. I started the cut at the line making slow short cuts, then continued to make short cuts trying to force it using maybe 2-3″ of the saw’s blade. The blade was bending and binding up under my choppy force. He stopped me and said “let the saw do the work, use longer smooth cuts”. And there it was – an effortless cut in less time by using the full capability of the resource at hand.

[My father is reading this now and is probably shocked the little squirt was actually paying attention back then. ]

So how can we apply these concepts to fitness? Well to start, having the right tool means finding the right combination of tools (activities) to meet your specific fitness goals. Given that everyone’s toolbox is also a different size and has different capabilities already in it, the approach you take is specific to you. Beware of the advice that suggests any plan applies to you in an absolute sense. My fitness toolbox consists of:

• An awareness of posture all day long … sitting, standing, walking
• A running technique “practice” and program that is highly efficient and low stress
• A cross-training program for core strength and overall range of motion
• A resistance stretching program to regain flexibility
• A breathing practice to improve efficiency and further develop the mind/body aspects of entering the “zone”
• An approach to nutrition that supports my goals
• An understanding that rest is critical
• An awareness of how to create balance in the midst of my own enthusiasm
• A flexible mindset to how my goal will be achieved, or may even change over time

And second, having an understanding that forcing any of these tools to work harder than they are capable of – or expect them to work in isolation – is really just harder on me and adds unnecessary risk. On any given day, it is what it is. Attachment to expectation will usually result in frustration. Showing up, fully body sensing what is possible, and making the most of each moment is really all we can hope for – and be grateful for.

As duly noted above, lucky for me …

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A primary ChiRunning and ChiWalking concept is to move forward with momentum while minimizing resistance. In both running and in life, efficiency and longevity comes from gradual forward progress with your foot subtly on the gas pedal with limited use of the brake.

If you press on the gas too much, you will likely need to use the brakes more. If you don’t trust mentally, you will likely use the brake. Or some of us just ride the brake all the time not realizing that our actions are slowing us down. In my seminars I often ask the question “Who steps on the gas and on the brake at the same time when they drive a car?”

The answer is obvious. My next question is “Why should your vehicle be treated any differently?” Any vehicle that is driven “hard”, or spends a lot of time in the shop or ingests … poor fuel, is affecting its efficiency and its longevity. The difference between a vehicle and your vehicle is you only get one vehicle.

Here are just a few examples of excess effort and excess braking in both running/walking and in life:

Running/Walking:

• Pushing, reaching, pulling – and then overstriding.
• Pushing, reaching, pulling – and creating resistance due to effort (*)
• Leaning too much (ChiRunning) – and then resisting with an overstride or by tensing the feet.
• Pushing beyond your fitness level – and then tensing or losing form and/or creating a long recovery time.

(* This is similar to the “muscle” car that slows to a stop if you take your foot off the gas. The inherent power in the engine is also a brake.)

Life:

• “Weekend Warrior”, trying to get in all your fitness on one day – and then needing to take the rest of the week off.
• “Fitness to Eat” (example), getting your fitness in – and then eating and drinking things that un-do your fitness program and leave you with less overall benefit. This includes any food or drink that you know is not clearly supporting your fitness/health goals.
• “Work hard, play hard”, taking short cuts in maintaining balanced health – and then getting sick.
• “Overextended”, taking a very big step towards your goal without balance – and then having trouble maintaining forward progress.
• “Mental Apprehension”, having a goal – and then hesitating or procrastinating.

In both cases, we can ignore or mask our body senses – often with medication or stimulating food/drink – but the effect of the stop and go is still present. Eventually the additive effects of our repetitive actions will likely result in something much, much harder to address than any one individual action we take. Would it not be easier to just make the choice to brake a little less? That depends on your perspective. Is it focused on short term pleasure or does it consider something longer term?

Question: In what scenarios do you step on the brake in life? A brake is anything that results in resistance, slows you down, makes you feel heavy, de-energizes you, etc.

These scenarios are likely ones that either physically or mentally:

• Take you out of alignment
• Originate from outside your center or “core”, including your values
• Knock you off balance
• Ask you to act from weakness and not strength
• Go against the principles or forces of nature

Question: What if you could ease off your brake(s) just a little? A good way to consider opportunities for this is to ask a simple question: Is what I am about to do clearly helping me towards my goals or will it slow down my progress? If it will help, go for it. If not, minimize?

~~~

Related posts:

1. Running as a Metaphor for Life Many of us have heard the concept of “running is...
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When I first started applying the ChiRunning® principles back in the early 2006, I read the part about engaging the core and was exposed to it in my first workshop. Even with all the focus on this point, for some reason it did not become a primary focus of mine. To some degree I thought I could get by without that piece of the puzzle.

Now I know better. Although I was able to make considerable progress during this time, not focusing on the core hindered me in a number of ways. Now I know first hand that engaging the core (lower abdominals below the belly button) to efficiently level the pelvis is a big key to ChiRunning. This one point supports everything else, it is like the pin or bolt that holds the whole vehicle together.

Just a few of the many things an engaged core and a level pelvis does:

• Improves alignment of the natural S-curve in the lower back which reduces stress and tension in the back, glutes, hips, etc.
• Stabilizes the pelvis from side to side which reduces stress on the hip joint and IT Band. It is stabilized due to its level position while limiting muscular effort in the low back, hips and pelvis to hold it in place.
• Limits the ability to bend at the waist (see recent blog post: ChiRunning Common Challenges, Lean) which results in a very inefficient lean.
• Promotes feet and knees that point forward. When the pelvis is tilted forward, the feet tend to point outward which can result in rotation and stress all along the leg to the foot.

Overall an engaged core/level pelvis stabilizes your position from one muscle group, the lower abs below the belly button. The first challenge is isolating just the lower abs; and not tensing the upper abs or glutes. The second challenge is strengthening the lower abs. The third challenge is using them in motion (walking then … running). The benefit is that muscle group happens to be nicely tucked out of the way of any motion necessary to move. This allows you to move or flow with less resistance. So you have two options:

• Isolate the lower ab and efficiently level/stablilize the pelvis, or:
• Maintain an unstable position with more muscle which results in additional effort and resistance to your motion.

The two key ChiRunning concepts are alignment and relaxation. The more aligned you are (see blog post: 4 Components of Alignment), the more relaxed you can be. The balance between these two concepts is described nicely in the principle of “Needle In Cotton” (ChiRunning page 35). Imagine a tempered needle through your center surrounded by cotton. The needle is your aligned structure; and your cotton is your relaxed everything else. If you want to run with relaxed cotton, you will need a strong needle. If you want to run farther, you will need a strong needle with endurance. If you want to run faster, you will need a stronger needle to maintain just a bit more lean.

But here is the best part: When you focus more (effort) on your needle, the more relaxed your cotton gets. I experienced this on a few runs recently. Essentially when you focus on the core, you distract effort and tension from everywhere else. As soon as I shift my focus, I take off with little additional effort.

I am currently undertaking a whole new level of focus on isolating core strength. I have made a lot of progress in the past five years; running injury free … farther and faster. But to get to my next level, I know that my core will again be a important piece of the puzzle. My program consists of:

• Lower Abdominal Exercise (ChiRunning page 73) and Additional Core Strength Exercises with increasing levels of motion (these are all summarized here: Leveling the Pelvis).
• More core exercises such as planks and others done on exercise balls, stability discs and bosu balls.
• Engaging and isolating the lower ab as I sit and walk all day long. Note the same principles also apply to ChiWalking®. A great time to practice engaging and isolating the lower ab is during this slower motion.
• Replicating that isolation on my runs.

Whatever level you are currently at; consider avoiding what I did early on. Do not neglect the core …

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach – and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor.  For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

Related posts:

1. ChiRunning Common Challenges, Lean One of the key ChiRunning® principles is to cooperate with...
2. Lower Ab Exercise Variation One of the common challenges to efficient and injury-free running...
3. Elements of ChiRunning Efficiency Recently … I was in an exchange online with another...

With the high injury rate among runners it might appear as though many are playing a game of chance like Roulette with their mobility; and with even worse odds. A potential cause may be actually running by “chance”; or put another way … just running and “hoping for the best”. But if someone is getting injured over and over, that might be the same as this popular definition:

“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” – Albert Einstein

The other option is to consider how you are running, pay attention to what your body is telling you and making adjustments by practicing principles (i.e ChiRunning principles), developing skills and forming new habits. Doing so can improve your “odds” of running injury-free. This process not only applies to your running technique but also to your running program.

Running Roulette is one game of chance, but let’s consider another popular board game called Chutes and Ladders.

The essence of this game is not only played by runners; but everyone in their daily lives. On the Chute and Ladders game board, you have:

• Numbered Path: Going by the “numbers”. Roll the dice and usually hope for a big number thinking that is best. But big numbers allow you to skip steps you might need later, or increase your risk of landing on a chute.
• Chutes: These are the setbacks, the aches/pains, the injuries, the procedures, the surgeries, the illnesses, the mental distress, … this is the “re-hab” path.
• Ladders: These are the principles learned, the skills developed, the habits formed … this is the “pre-hab” path.

[See a recent post Fitness Program Pre-hab for more on this concept.]

On the running (and life) game board just before a chute there is usually a clear warning signal. If you listen to it and make an change from your toolbox, then you get to hop on that ladder and avoid the chute. Or you might even pause if that is your change. The adjustment comes from a past experience, quality advice or sound principles. If you are not paying attention or don’t know what to change, you risk finding yourself on the chute.

Here is the best part: your game board is constantly changing if you are changing. With each new skill or habit you develop more ladders and increase your ability to reach a higher level. But here is the catch: No matter where you are on the board, there will always be many chutes ready to teach or remind you of a lesson. So:

“Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom.” – Jim Rohn

No matter where you are, wish for more ladders …

In ChiRunning and ChiWalking the approach is to make gradual progress through form first, then distance, … and then speed. In that order the foundation exists to reach and enjoy higher and higher levels of fitness and health with limited risk. Going by the numbers will probably only get you so far, and likely with a good deal of frustration. But being a student of your own “how” can accelerate what is possible for you.

~~~

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2. Running, Walking and Living on the Brake? A primary ChiRunning and ChiWalking concept is to move forward...
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At one time, the first compatibility question was “What’s your sign?”. Maybe it still is for determining compatibility in a relationship. When you choose your running “partner(s)”, you might think that if you run about the same speed and have a lot to chat about – you are good to go. But there is another very important element to your compatibility.

A runner’s cadence is the number of steps taken per minute, usually counted on one side. To determine this number, one method is to take a one minute sample of the number of steps on the right, ie. You can also have someone match a device called a Metronome to your step or arm swing. We each have a current cadence based on a number of individual factors; it is essentially the music or rhythm that plays in your head. This number is usually somewhere between 75 and 95, and there is some correlation to your running technique. Running by reaching and landing forward will generally have a slower cadence; and landing more under you will generally have a faster cadence. In ChiRunning, the approach is to slowly adjust your cadence into the range of 85-90 on one side. This cadence will support a light, quick, efficient turnover … but not so quick you add excess effort or lose the opportunity for pelvic rotation/hip extension.

A challenge emerges when you run with “someone” who has a different cadence than you do; which also includes the case when that someone is music. Since we tend to sync to the rhythms around us, ie. ever try to dance to a different beat with music playing?, we will likely change our cadence and therefore change our technique. There a few scenarios when you run with “someone” else:

• You have different cadences; and your cadence drifts to the other person. This will likely also change your technique since to maintain speed, you need to change stride length.
• You have different cadences; and you drift towards each other.
• You have different cadences; and they drift to you. This will only occur if you stay very focused on maintaining your own cadence.
• You have similar cadences. In this case you will likely feed off of each other and pick up speed without realizing it.

I started to notice this on group runs. Some runs are easy, some hard (mentally) depending on who I am running with. The ones that are hard mentally are the ones where I have to hold my ground (cadence) and work to ignore someone(s) else’s cadence.

A specific example of this occurred just the other day. I was running with someone and started to sense effort. So I went through my list of questions: Aligned? Relaxed? Balanced? I noticed I was a little tense and out of balance. The cause was a slower cadence. When your cadence slows down at least two things happen:

• Your stride length has to increase to run the same speed.
• You have to lean less since you are not picking up your feet fast enough to keep up with your forward fall. If you don’t lean less you will tense to control the lean. It is like a unicyclist who pedals less but does not lean less; a recipe for disaster.

So I tensed up trying to stay balanced; and therefore created more effort. I felt like I was plodding along, relatively speaking, and noticed my cadence was the same as the other person. As soon as I shifted my focus on resetting my own cadence to its normal value using the Waltz count “right-two-three, left-two-three, right-two-three, left-two-three, …” in my head, the effort immediately decreased. I restored my quicker more efficient cadence which added balance and therefore relaxation … and therefore a lean appropriate for the desired speed. For the rest of the run I “held my ground” and kept my cadence even though the other person was covertly trying to slow it down.

The lesson here is another example of being careful about who you hang out with. Influence is subtle, but powerful … even out on a run. Remember to dance to the beat of your own drum. If you sense more effort be sure to add the fourth question: Aligned? Relaxed? Balanced? Cadence?, as you work to determine the cause.

Learn more about running alignment, relaxation and balance in this brief intro video: ChiRunning Simplified! Efficient and Injury Free Natural Running Technique

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach – and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor.  For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

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The term “Pre-hab” was first introduced to me in early 2006 when I first met the author of ChiRunning, Danny Dreyer. Interesting how other authors have now decided to use the term also, but I am not surprised since it so accurately describes an alternate path we can take in our fitness programs. An overall objective of most fitness programs is to get moving and stay moving consistently. This can be any kind of fitness training; strength training, range of motion, sport, walking/hiking, running, etc.

The most common path we find ourselves on is unfortunately the re-hab path. Re-hab is what happens when our actions create resistance towards consistent forward progress. Re-hab can be anything from the slightest mental hesitation to what is necessary after a complex surgery. The risk is too our mobility; and to some degree when our mobility is compromised so is our health.

The other path is the “Pre-hab” path that result in a fitness “practice”. Pre-hab is preventative and offers a way to completely avoid the rehab path. Here are some potential physical and mental characteristics of each path.

Re-hab Path Characteristics:

• A Mind over Body approach and hoping for the best
• Increases apprehension, fatigue, discomfort, aches/pain, injury, and even surgery
• External goal orientated, usually short term motivation
• Accepts existing habits unconsciously without considering principle
• Focused on training harder and just getting “through” the workout
• Creates resistance leading to inconsistency; stop-go-stop-go …
• Develops fear of the next re-hab event
• Has a high potential for frustration

Pre-hab Path Characteristics:

• A Mind/Body “practice” of self discovery, ie. ChiRunning.
• Increases energy; and reduces chance of discomfort, aches/pains, injury, surgery
• Internal process orientated, develops skills for long term success
• Creates new supportive habits consciously based on principle
• Focused on training smarter based on the body’s design, physics and nature; and getting something “from” the workout
• Creates momentum, consistency and confidence
• Develops a “knowing” on how to re-adjust the process before a small issue becomes a major event
• Has a high potential for enjoyment and self satisfaction

As you move through life, the choices might once again resemble this analogy:

The re-hab option results in some forward progress then a pause with resistance, and repeat. Getting restarted is harder; and even harder as we get older. The pre-hab option, such as ChiRunning or ChiWalking, results in increasing potential as a function of increasing skill. Each incremental success gives us momentum and confidence to consider a slightly “bigger” experience. In short, we become more so we can experience more. This is what happens as we pass each test and each grade in school. If your life has been an ongoing process of learning, why would your fitness programs be any different?

The choice of a fitness and life path is of course, yours.

~~~

Related posts:

1. Running Roulette With the high injury rate among runners it might appear...
2. Running, Walking and Living on the Brake? A primary ChiRunning and ChiWalking concept is to move forward...
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