Well-being

Let’s give that concept legs

by Stuart Andrews

Well-being is generally accepted as a state of being “healthy, happy or comfortable”. In a movement-based context, if you place the words “I feel” in front of each of these words then you begin to understand that “touch or being touched” is very important part of your physicality.

That is what I love about stretching as a basic daily activity. It allows you get in touch with yourself. Often it’s a great way of revealing to yourself how you are actually coping with life as opposed to your perception of coping with life, which is sometimes a basic survival mechanism to help you get through tough times.

I remember receiving a phone call to say that my mother had just passed away. I remember my legs feeling like they were giving way as I sat down in the chair behind me staring at the floor trying to comprehend what I had just been told. That was significant moment for me on so many levels but what I am about to tell you shocked me so much that I found it hard to comprehend.

A week later I tried do a basic stretching routine in a motel room and was shocked that I could barely reach below my knees let alone touch the floor. Was it arrogant of me to think that this couldn’t happen to me, given that I teach people on the hour how to stretch and activate muscle groups?

What I learned from my mother passing away is that the more stress we are under the less we are able to physically perceive what we need. Most people wake up one morning and swing their legs out of bed and say “wow, I’m getting old” when, in fact, it is their body complaining of neglect. This just heightens any sense of emotional despair that they have been battling to deal with (and let’s face it, we all go through these moments). Where we should be saying “let’s get up and get moving” we seize up and try to adapt to our physical limitations.

I designed Lower Limber^® to get my father moving. He had a heart attack after my mother passed away and to touch his toes for the first time in his 84 years of life put a real smile on my face. He said “it can’t be that simple son”. And I heard the words come out of my mouth “you just have to know where to start Dad”.

Lower Limber^® is not just a physical device to get people from all walks of life moving better, it delivers a concept with clearly defined starting points that make it easy for anyone to get themselves moving and progressively improve. It just comes down to will power and not accepting those seeds of self-doubt that so many unwittingly adopt.

I have personally witnessed a lot of people using the Lower Limber^® system, whether they are recovering from injury, a child going through a growth spurt or an elite athlete looking for that percentage increase in their performance levels. What I enjoy most isn’t observing the physical results they achieve by using the Lower Limber^® Sequential Stretching and Activation System, but watching people get in touch with themselves both physically and emotionally.

The Lower Limber^® Sequential Stretching and Activation System offers an alternative means for many people who aren’t interested in taking drugs to mask their physical symptoms but want to improve their wellbeing. They might also be pleasantly surprised to find out how other parts of their lives improve by simply getting themselves moving. The joy of movement is something we take for granted and watching my own children participating in their chosen sports has reminded me why so many of us love sport - we love watching people moving at their best and keeping us in touch with our own childhood memories.

If you want to get into exercise, whether you are overweight, unfit, recovering from injury or feeling the effects of aging, then stretching and activating your legs’ muscle groups while paying attention to your spine is an ideal starting point to keep you on your toes for your entire life.