Originally posted on exercise.com, written by Lynda Salerno Gehrman.
In my countless hours of professional dance training and decades of teaching bodies of all levels with every request imaginable (to get rid of “arm jiggle,” make the pain go away, loosen up hamstrings, unwind scoliosis, and more), I’ve learned there are groups of exercises that really do work well for most of us. While we all need teachers to guide us, we also need to take responsibility for our bodies and keep them tuned up.
In dance training, we do the same repetitive, tedious exercises, whether we’re three years old or 93. These exercises help us develop and execute classic choreographic patterning. Everyday life is no different, as it is important to have some ritualistic exercises to use as a barometer while we all evolve and get better with age.
…our prime of life should be in the 70’s and old age should not come until we are almost 100.
– Joseph H. Pilates
Our bodies create reflexive patterns in movement or muscle memory, and we (should) deviate from ideal alignment all the time. But it is crucial to our health that we repeatedly teach our bodies right from wrong. You can teach your body to make better choices when doing that same move that keeps tweaking your hip. After all, the problem is not the move itself; it’s how you move.