What is fascia and why we should all care about it?
Fascia is the most abundant tissue in our entire body! A vast network of connective tissue that spreads throughout the body in a three-dimensional web from head to foot, functioning without interruption. It makes your body a single continuous unit capable of sensations and actions. It is made up of elastin and collagen and it is absolutely everywhere inside you. All our organs, muscles, blood vessels are connected to or enveloped by it. You can also find it between the muscle fibers within a muscle and also surrounding the whole muscle.
Fascia's lubricating oil ("the oily bath") provides a frictionless surface for muscles to slide past each other without restrictions, resulting in a smooth, free motion.
Feeling a little bit like the Tin Man (stiff and inflexible)?
When we are inactive, injured or not consciously working our fascia, the "oily bath" can have the opposite effect. Those lubricating oils can harden, effectively securing the ligaments, nerves, tendons inside the sheath, leaving you feeling stiff and old.
The layers of fascia glue together, restricting movement, locking us in our poor posture. The muscle fibers will become unable to contract and extend to their full range, losing strength and flexibility.
How can we keep our fascia healthy?
The only way to keep our fascia healthy, lubricated and pliable, is through consistent, full-body stretching and strengthening. Gentle movement hydrates and heals connective tissue while working to offset inflammation. Using large, rotational motions at moderate speed, Essentrics training stretches, conditions and rejuvenates fascia that runs through our entire body.
Fascia is like a spider web that encompasses the muscles throughout the body. It's almost like an inner bodysuit.
Be patient! You
can rebuild your muscles long before you can regain elasticity in your connective tissue.
As we focus on improving our fitness, we will see our strength increase and weight decrease much sooner than we will see changes to our body's shape. This is because fascia reflects the shape of the muscle it is surrounding. If a muscle becomes compressed or shortened through overtraining, or atrophies from inactivity, the surrounding fascia will gradually shrink too. This is one reason why our bodies change shape over time.
Movement is essential for healing! If you suffer a minor injury, you need to stay active and continue to melt your body's hardened oil with regular and GENTLE full-body exercise.
Essentrics works your whole body (all 650 muscles, 210 bones and 360 joints) at every sessions which is KEY in order to shape our fascia, and through that, the shape of your body!
Essentrics & Interlocking Circles
Essentrics is based on a functional concept of interlocking circles and wheels. We recognize that the body is not flat but three dimensional and capable of moving in circular motions:
-
Arms perform a circular motion within the sockets
-
Legs perform a circular motion within the hip sockets
-
The torso performs a circular motion on the spine
TRY THIS
Imagine that you are standing in a 3D circle or a 3D clock and as we "pull up" and "pull out", away from the center, think about wanting to reach the circumference.