Thinking about getting back to an exercise program?

Perhaps you're mending your "couch potato" ways.  Perhaps you had to stop exercise because of an injury, or after surgery.  Before resuming or beginning regular exercise, be sure that your medical professional approves, and says you are healthy enough to exercise.

However, it's not as simple as enrolling in a class, signing up for a gym membership, or hiring a personal trainer.  We all know people who go "all out" early on in an exercise program, and end up so sore that they can't continue. The healthy habit of exercise never has a chance to establish itself. The last thing you want is to re-injure yourself, or stop before you start.  What to do?

If you haven't moved in awhile, it's possible that you've lost more than muscle tone.  You may have lost the ability to feel yourself and your sensations.  This ability is called the "kinesthetic sense,"  and it is developed through paying attention to yourself while you are moving.  If you've lost your kinesthetic sense, you're less likely to notice your body's signals that you are over-exerting, straining, or moving inefficiently.  The bad news is, most fitness professionals assume that you know how to take care of yourself.  The good news is, you can re-develop your kinesthetic sense and refine your sensitivity so that you can exercise safely and gain the maximum benefit from your exercise program.

The Feldenkrais Method works specifically to develop your kinesthetic sense.  Group classes in Awareness Through Movement will bring your attention to yourself with small, gentle movements.  You'll develop an understanding of how your body moves most easily, comfortably, and efficiently.  Your posture, balance, and breathing will improve.  As you learn what your habitual patterns are, you can also learn new patterns that can serve you in a variety of settings and situations.  You'll learn to sense yourself and enjoy the feeling of movement as you begin to develop your strength and flexibility.  Private lessons, called Functional Integration, will help you to work with specific issues.

Many people continue lessons in the Feldenkrais Method as they return to exercise.  Whether you choose yoga, Pilates, or a simple walking program, you'll feel more confident and competent in movement.  Your new ability to sense yourself  in movement and at rest will  help you to monitor yourself and your exertion levels more effectively.  Be willing to take  things slowly and gradually.  Be kind and patient with yourself as you are re-learning.  Resist the urge to rush, or to hold yourself to an unrealistic standard. Your capacity for movement and exercise will gradually increase to levels that you find to be enjoyable and effective for meeting your personal fitness goals.

If you would like to learn to move with confidence, comfort, and consciousness, contact a Feldenkrais practitioner near you.  Fitness, and wellness, are ongoing processes.  You can begin today.

MaryBeth D. Smith is the Director of the Feldenkrais Center of Houston.  With over 25 years experience teaching in university, business, and community settings, she now uses the Feldenkrais Method to help people improve their self-image,  function, and enjoyment in movement and in life.  Read more from MaryBeth on her other blog, SomaQuest.