Mirrors For Body Awareness!

in #fitness6 years ago

We had a conversation with our clients this morning in our boot camp class that we found super interesting - it was all about mind-muscle connection and the awareness (or lack thereof) of how our bodies move and how that translates into sport, fitness, and everyday life...

It's true that some people can "feel" what their bodies are doing and know whether or not they are replicating an exercise properly, and those are also the folks who typically take cues well and have no problem translating words into a physical manifestation.

It's super easy to imagine that you could demonstrate a movement correctly for someone, and then ask them to do what you just did... But sometimes, if a person lacks body awareness and the skill of being able to "talk" to their body and have it do what's asked, the result is vastly different than what was requested. It's fascinating, really!

But the most interesting part, in my opinion, is that some people just have absolutely no idea that what they're doing isn't the same as what was demonstrated.

"Make yours like mine."

Source

(Honestly, if anyone gets the above reference I will be beyond delighted!)

Anyway, if this body awareness doesn't come naturally and isn't learned throughout childhood, not all is lost... Although can be difficult to forge new patterns in adulthood and it sometimes requires undoing odd or unhelpful habits in movement, it CAN be done!

If you don't have a resourceful, articulate trainer helping you along, and even if you do, one of the best tools you have at your disposal is a mirror. Almost all gyms have them, and for sure you have at least one at home, and they're not just there so you can admire your "gainzzz" (though that's a nice perk)...

If you're learning on your own, read about the exercises you're doing and watch a shitload of videos. Pick out the most frequent and most important cues, and self-check! Ask yourself questions, and don't be afraid if making the changes is hard at first. Almost always when you make a form change for the better in exercise, it gets harder. But exercise is supposed to be challenging, so embrace it!

Hold yourself accountable and make every rep perfect until it becomes second nature.

Ultimately, doing your exercises correctly and completely (full range of motion, etc.) is what will get you the results you're looking for... All of our tried-and-true exercises have been designed and implemented in specific ways for a reason! So if you're not doing exercises properly, not only are you more prone to injury but you're literally just spinning your wheels. And we all know...

()
Source

So get yourself in front of a mirror and pick your form apart! Once it looks absolutely perfect, close your eyes and do a few reps, concentrating on what it feels like in your body to move it in the proper way. Open your eyes at different points during your reps to see if what you feel matches what you see, and adjust as needed. You can also film your movements on your phone if you want to be more high-tech about it... :)

It might be annoying, but it sure is worth it. You'll move more safely, more efficiently, and get more results :) what's not to like about all that?? Don't quit until you nail it!

Need some help? Reach out!

Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you'd like! :)

My Post (3).jpg

Sort:  

The mind body connection is an AMAZING thing. I started gymnastics at an early age and continued for 10+ years. This made it an easy transition into weight training and I quickly caught on and saw results. When I became a personal trainer I was astounded at the various capabilities of others and how it related to their physical upbringing. I found it so interesting to see how different walks of life interpreted my instruction. And you're absolutely right! Mirrors are a saving grace for new learners! I would always start my clients with the basics in the mirror and show them what to correct and what to look for and that would be their "homework" to practice at home and show me without a mirror at their next session to monitor how they were progressing. It amazing me how once we learn something solid we can do it correctly without even thinking about it. I just finished and AMAZING book on audible called The Power of Habit that dives deep into the human brain about habits and how they transfer over into other things! Fascinating!

To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.

Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.

Congratulations @annemariemay! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You made more than 10000 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 11000 upvotes.

Click here to view your Board of Honor
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:

Meet the Steemians Contest - Intermediate results

Support SteemitBoard's project! Vote for its witness and get one more award!

This is an very interesting article 😊 I never notice when I am standing or lying straight or not. Hope this will improve!

Congratulations @annemariemay! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You made more than 11000 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 12000 upvotes.

Click here to view your Board of Honor
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:

Saint Nicholas challenge for good boys and girls

Support SteemitBoard's project! Vote for its witness and get one more award!

Congratulations @annemariemay! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You made more than 12000 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 13000 upvotes.

Click here to view your Board of Honor
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Support SteemitBoard's project! Vote for its witness and get one more award!


@annemariemay, sorry to see you have less Steem Power.
Your level lowered and you are now a Red Fish!

Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:

SteemWhales has officially moved to SteemitBoard Ranking
SteemitBoard - Witness Update

Support SteemitBoard's project! Vote for its witness and get one more award!

Congratulations @annemariemay! You received a personal award!

Happy Birthday! - You are on the Steem blockchain for 1 year!

Click here to view your Board

Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:

Carnival Challenge - Collect badge and win 5 STEEM
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness and get one more award and increased upvotes!

Congratulations @annemariemay! You received a personal award!

Happy Birthday! - You are on the Steem blockchain for 2 years!

You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking

Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:

Use your witness votes and get the Community Badge
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!