30 Day Takeoff: Day 23

Duration: 00:24:31

Today you’ll be working on improving your back mobility through massage and stretches, so just follow along and enjoy.

Pro tips: Everyone’s perception of pain is different and perception can vary from day to day, especially if you’re a female. Mental state, hormones, rest, diet, hydration and genetics all affect our pain tolerance. One day a stretch might feel easy and comfortable, but the next time you do the same stretch it hurts or feels very tight. Below I’ve provided a bit more information about this topic:

• Mental state: Learn to be intuitive with your body; don’t ignore what it’s telling you.
• Hormones: Females have major fluctuations in levels all month long. Males also have fluctuations but less frequent or dramatic. Tracking your menstrual cycle can be really helpful. If you take a few minutes to write down how things felt mentally and physically each day, after a few weeks you can uncover patterns. You don’t have to try and fix anything, but you’ll have awareness and information to work with.
• Rest: The amount of rest you need will vary depending on your age, cycle and activity level. Rest is so important, so don’t ignore your body’s cues for more sleep.
• Diet: Foods that have a good deal of essential fatty acids, vitamin C, sulfur, and water could help maintain connective tissue. Fish and flaxseed are good sources of essential fatty acids. Citrus fruit and broccoli are high in vitamin C, and foods high in sulfur are seafood, cabbage and beans.
• Hydration: Drinking water is an important factor in speeding up metabolism by increased lipolysis. It also helps maintain body temperature, lubricates joints and protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues. If you’re trying to kick a soda habit, drinking water with one or more of these added—lemon, lime, orange, cucumbers, mint or berries—can be tasty and it looks beautiful!
• Genetics: Yes, some people are born more flexible than others, and we all have different shaped hips, pelvis and femur bones. This means for some, a middle split is anatomically impossible, but you can learn to fake it or work with what you have! Remember, anyone can improve their flexibility and therefore function for daily life. Not everyone has the ability to do contortion level poses, but that’s ok! Being too flexible has issues as well.

Here are a few descriptions of unhealthy pain: Sudden, sharp, stabbing, numbness, relentless, pins and needles or discomfort near a joint and not being able to breathe calmly. This is your nervous system saying you’ve gone too far; risk of injury is high.

Here are a few descriptions of healthy discomfort: Pulling, lengthening, warmth, or shaking. This is your nervous system learning how to react and adjust to a new pathway.