Seven Tips To Maximize Your Flexibility

By -

1) Stretch am and pm

In the morning you will find that your muscles are stiff so it's important not to push too much but take the time to tune into your body. Breathe into your stretch. Stretching in the morning is harder than in the evening but its one of the best ways to increase flexibility.

2) Know the difference between a warm up and stretching

My early morning sessions at the Shaolin Temple always began with a quick warm up before we went for our mountain run. Although some stretching was involved it was not the intensive stretching that we did later on but more of a quick check to make sure our joints were working properly.

3) Always stretch after your workout

For martial artists this is the optimum time to increase your flexibility. Your joints and muscles are warm, which means you can go further with your stretch and it also helps to decrease the build up of lactic acid in your muscles. Not stretching out after a workout can lead to a feeling of stiffness the next day.

4) Do the Five Fundamental Shaolin Kicks

After stretching move on and do the Five Fundamental Kicks that are taught in Shaolin Workout Volume 1. These kicks increase flexibility to the legs and the hips. Start off in a relaxed and loose way, kicking from the hip rather than from the leg. Stretch in between the kicks to loosen the leg and kick again. When you move into the splits you'll be surprised at how much further you can go.

5) Do a little stretching everyday

Even five minutes a day counts. If you like to watch TV then find a way to stretch while you watch TV. On the escalator, place your left heel a little off the step and stretch out your calf muscle. Alternate with your right heel. Find creative ways to include stretching in your day-to-day life.

6) Alternate your stretching

Our bodies are lazy and they quickly adapt so it’s a good idea to keep it on its toes by alternating the stretching that you do and challenging your body. Yoga stretches can be mixed with kung fu stretches and vice versa. Whatever helps your body open

7) Focus on Optimal Flexibility for you

We all need to have a certain amount of flexibility but remember we are all different. It's crucial that you never push yourself too hard and you work with your own body. If you want to get your head on your knees, don't strain to get there or bend your legs in the process. Remember there never should be any pain when you stretch only patience. More details can be found on stretching in my book: Instant Health: The Shaolin Workout For Longevity.

Popular posts from this blog

What's In A Shaolin Monk's Refrigerator?

By -
Image
Food is Medicine Shaolin Monks alongside the majority of Chinese people see food as medicine and eat in accordance with traditional Chinese Medicine. Foods have Yin and Yang qualities and we alter what we eat in accordance with how our health is that day. For example, if we have a cold then we'll make chicken soup with dried red plums,   Goji berries and ginger, an excellent tonic soup. Inside the Shaolin Temple we eat vegetarian food but outside the temple, the fighting monks are allowed to eat meat. In this article I'm not going to go into the pros and cons of being a vegetarian but I'm going to give you an insight into our daily diet. Shaolin Monk's focus on eating foods in their natural state. We don't eat energy bars or cereal, we don't drink coca cola,   protein shakes,   alcohol, or water with ice. We eat a diet which is rich in fruit, vegetables, and good quality protein. For carbohydrate we eat white rice, steamed buns or noodles. We drink water at...
Read more

heal your lifestyles with homeopathic medication

By -
Image
this approach of remedy believes that a substance that causes the signs of a ailment in wholesome human beings would cure comparable signs in unwell humans. everybody, unanimously consider the truth that fitness is the supreme wealth. there is no alternative to a valid health circumstance when the thoughts, frame, and soul are aligned in balance. however at the same time, sicknesses also are a fact which poses the risk to our health and even our survival. in assessment with the most variety of treatments, homeopathy has arise to be one of the most dependable methods for remedy in which there is no or a completely least amount of aspect-consequences. heal your lifestyles with homeopathic medication  clean to apply they may be particularly easy to use than its allopathic counterparts. homeopathic medicines are liquid concentrates which may be diluted in water or small sugar capsules. these drugs are not bitter and people of all ages can take it effortlessly without any feelings of di...
Read more

Eczema, reasons and answers

By -
Image
i have a pal who has suffered from eczema his entire lifestyles. He has spent 46 years enduring the itching, the flaking, inflamed and dry skin. eventually, he put his foot down and decided he'd had sufficient. He determined to try something extraordinary. inside the area of some weeks, his eczema was absolutely long gone, and his pores and skin is now softer than it has ever been in his existence. in case you suppose you have got tried the whole lot, and still your eczema keeps coming again, do not despair - there's a solution that works. And what's the harm in trying one extra element? particularly while the solution is certainly precise for you, no steroids, capsules or topical creams... in case you suffer from eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis, you aren't by myself. so many human beings conflict with the annoying, painful and nerve-racking pores and skin conditions. lots of us haven't any idea why we get eczema, what causes it or how to dispose of it. maximum of u...
Read more