Stretching-Why We Don’t Make Time
Stretching is something that I regularly forget. Yesterday, I was driving to Orange County to give a massage. In the best of conditions, it’s a 1.25-hour drive from Santa Clarita. But this was not the case. There were two major accidents on the other side of the freeway. Even though there were no lanes closed on my side, everyone had to slow down to get a good look. My drive was closer to two hours by the time I arrived.
Fortunately, I had allowed a generous amount of time so that I could get some dinner before seeing my client. I arrived in the Chipotle parking lot with about 45 minutes for dinner. It was much less time than I had hoped for. (I had envisioned a leisurely dinner with some book reading.) Still, it was plenty of time to eat without rushing.
I had spent the last 24 hours dealing with some low back pain. I had tried some brief stretching between clients in the morning, but it wasn’t enough to address the issue adequately. So, I gritted my teeth and loaded my gear into the car. I popped some ibuprofen and hoped for the best. I hoped for time to eat my dinner and do some stretching. The stretching would have done me more good than the three ibuprofen I was up to at that point.
So, why didn’t I do it? I spent some time in reflection this morning about the whole situation. I realized that two truths play out over and over again in situations like these:
#1 – I was focused on the task at hand to the exclusion of my own well-being.
#2 – I was not thinking about my body as the fine piece of machinery that it is. I certainly was not caring for it as I would a delicate instrument needed to do my work.
Most of my life has been spent as a professional musician. I have worked very closely with musicians that are performing at the highest levels. The meticulous, and in some cases obsessive care that is taken for instruments of these world-class musicians is a standard that is matchless. These folks spend thousands of dollars and hours making certain that each time their instrument comes out of the case, that it is ready to work at peak efficiency. The old saying, “A musician is only as good as his last gig,” is often the case. Playing poorly can close doors for future work and even end careers. The instrument MUST NOT fail.
When I sit in the parking lot of a rehearsal location and watch musicians arrive, I see people who have been sitting in traffic for hours. They ease themselves stiffly out of car seats littered with fast-food wrappers and soda cans. They sometimes indulge in a single, brief stretch before picking up their briefcase and instrument and making their way to the hall. And then, they sit again for several hours, this time with the added challenge of having to perform on their instrument at the highest level. The instrument may come out of the case ready for the task, but the player is often sore, cramped and stiff. The drive home continues to exacerbate the issues. Then there is always tomorrow’s rehearsal and performance schedule…
Our bodies, although amazingly resilient and capable of self-healing, take a lot of abuse in the tough schedules with high demands placed upon them. As I was sitting in Chipotle yesterday, it would have been easy to take 5-10 minutes to stretch my body and prepare for the evening’s work. But I didn’t do it. I am certain that my strength, flexibility, stamina and pain levels suffered for it. Most musicians I know acknowledge that regular stretching would help their ability to perform well in both the short and long term. Most of them look away sheepishly and tell me that they don’t do it, even though they know how good it would be for them.
Stretching falls under that category of “radical self-care”, and is a difficult discipline to integrate into one’s life. So much of our society encourages us to hurry about and to put our body’s needs last. We fall back on our bodies’ amazing capacity to heal. We feel frustrated when our bodies can no longer tolerate the strain placed upon them. Repetitive motion injuries occur, and it is difficult for us to see that many of these conditions can be prevented. One of my favorite tasks as a massage therapist is to create stretching protocols for my clients, based on their symptoms and activities. I enjoy hearing stories about diminishing pain and increased flexibility as they make stretching part of their daily lives.
I am learning how to integrate stretching into my everyday life. The well-being of my physical body demands it. The few minutes I spend stretching actually increases my productivity, agility, strength, and stamina. When I stretch before I give a massage, conduct an ensemble or vacuum the house, I feel energized. I am able to accomplish more in a shorter period of time. My fine motor control improves and I am less distracted by pain or stiffness. When I stretch after these activities, I experience less soreness the next day. The stretching time allows me to reflect on the work I have just accomplished. It gives me the chance to focus on things I hope to accomplish.
Stretching is a gift of self-compassion and love. I can see how far I have come in my own journey to recognize the need for these things. I continue to learn about my own body and to make time for my own wellness.
Clear your Space – Recharge your Self – Direct your Life
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